How to Write 媸 (chī) — Meaning “ugly woman”

Imagine a woman (女) with a worm (虫) on her face — the worm is like a mark of ugliness. The top part of 蚩 looks like the character 㐅 (a cross), so you can think of a cross-eyed woman that people mock. This combines both the meaning of "ugly" and the sound chī.

Start with the left radical 女 (3 strokes), then write the right side 蚩 (10 strokes). A common mistake is making the 女 too wide — keep it narrow to leave room for the right part. The bottom of 蚩 is 虫 (insect), so ensure the final two dots are clear and not connected as one stroke.

媸 means "ugly woman," while 娶 (qǔ) means "to marry a woman" (取 + 女) and is used as a verb. 娼 (chāng) means "prostitute" or "sing-song girl" (女 + 昌). Visually, 媸 has 蚩 on the right, 娶 has 取 (take), and 娼 has 昌 (prosperous) — so their right parts are completely different.

媸 is not used in everyday speech; it appears mainly in classical or formal literary contexts. The most common phrase is 妍媸 (yán chī), meaning "beauty and ugliness," often used in aesthetic criticism. In traditional Chinese philosophy, 妍媸 reflects the idea of contrasting opposites, similar to yin and yang.

Common words containing 媸 include: 妍媸 (yán chī) — Beauty and ugliness; 媸陋 (chī lòu) — ugly; hideous; 媸笑 (chī xiào) — to mock; an ugly laugh.