臭 chòu to reek
to reek; to smell; to stink; bad
How it came to be
A nose, the self block, over a dog. The dog is there because a dog finds things by smell. It is about the sense before the stink, so it once meant any smell.
How it is used
- 臭 chòu means 'to stink/smell bad,' the direct opposite of 香 xiāng (fragrant/appetizing smell) - the two are a natural pair to learn together, 花很香 (huā hěn xiāng) the flowers smell nice.
- It can be used alone as a stative verb (这个鱼很臭 zhège yú hěn chòu - this fish stinks) or as an adjective before a noun, often with negative or insulting force: 臭袜子 (chòu wàzi) stinky socks, 臭美 (chòuměi) vain/full of oneself (colloquial insult).
- It's casual/spoken register - in more neutral or scientific writing 'odor' is expressed with 气味 (qìwèi) rather than 臭 alone.