侏儒
zhūrú
The English phrase 'midget' is translated into Chinese as 侏儒 (zhūrú).
侏儒 is used to refer to a person of small stature, specifically an adult with a height of less than 4'10" or to the biological condition of dwarfism in clinical and biological contexts."
Meaning: person of small stature of adult height less than 4'10" (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 侏儒 is the formal term, the phrase 小矮人 serves as a more colloquial and descriptive way to refer to a short person or a little dwarf.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
侏儒 is a formal or medical term. In contrast, 小矮人 is used in informal or colloquial speech.
How do you pronounce it?
zhūrú
Did you know?
- The character 侏 in 侏儒 may share an ancient connection with the word for 'spider', which is 蜘蛛.
- The character 儒 in 侏儒 is the same character used to describe 'scholars' or 'Confucianists', though its meaning here is different.
- The term 侏儒 appears in the 'Fangyan', a dialectal dictionary from the 1st century CE, showing that the specific terminology for small stature has been documented for two millennia.
Examples in context
- 他是一个侏儒。Tā shì yīgè zhūrú.He is a midget.
Example conversation
Wei and Jia Yi are discussing a character in a book.
- 伟 Wei书里的那个侏儒是谁？Shū lǐ de nàgè zhūrú shì shéi?Who is that midget in the book?
- 佳怡 Jiayi那是一个非常勇敢的侏儒。Nà shì yīgè fēicháng yǒnggǎn de zhūrú.That is a very brave midget.
- 伟 Wei他看起来很强壮。Tā kàn qǐlái hěn qiángzhuàng.He looks very strong.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，他的性格也很棒。Shì de, tā de xìnggé yě hěn bàng.Yes, his personality is also great.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “midget” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 侏儒, CC BY-SA 4.0.
