文丑表现的人物并非全是文人，只是表演上不重武功，是相对于武丑而言的。文丑又划分为方巾丑、袍带丑、茶衣丑、褶子丑等。

Wen Chou (civilian clown) is a subcategory of the Chou role. The characters who are portrayed by the Wen Chou are not necessarily all educated members of the literati; rather these roles do not require skills in martial arts. Wen Chou can be further divided into the Fangjin Chou ("kerchief" chou), Paodai Chou ("belt robe" chou), Chayi Chou ("tea garment" chou) and Xuezi Chou ("casual coat" chou).

方巾丑多扮演一些达官贵人，有文化的人和有一定身份的上层社会人士。方巾丑头戴方巾，身穿褶子，有的手里还拿把扇子，迈着四方步，举止缓慢文雅，文质彬彬，但带点迂腐的酸气，这类人擅长察言观色、阿谀奉承、吹牛拍马、诡计多端。这类角色在戏曲舞台上一般是反面人物，通过愚笨或狠毒的形象，反衬正面人物形象的睿智与正义，一般说韵白，如《蒋干盗书》中的蒋干、《乌龙院》中的张文远等。

代表作品有《蒋干盗书》《乌龙院》等。

literati and noble lords. On stage, the character normally wears a square-shaped kercheif and carries a fan in his hand, walking in measured steps with gentle gestures and slow movements, but an unpleasant air. These movements convey that these characters are conceited petty scholars who have a pedantic disposition. They are skilled in observing, flattering, bragging, and scheming. These roles are usually negative characters, stupid and wicked, and serve as a contrast to the wise and righteous hero. These characters generally speak in yunbai (a form of stylized speech which gives the character an air of decorum). Examples of this role include Jiang Gan in "Jiang Gan Steals a Letter" (Jiang Gan Dao Shu), and Zhang Wenyuan in "Black Dragon Courtyard"(Wu LongYuan).

Representative works："Jiang Gan Steals a Letter" (Jiang Gan Dao Shu) and "Black Dragon Courtyard" (Wu Long Yuan).

袍带丑又称官衣丑，身穿官服，腰围玉带，头戴圆翅纱帽，正反面人物均有。袍带丑有时饰演帝王将相、公卿大夫等喜剧人物；有时饰演正直又机智的角色，如《蝴蝶杯》中的董温；有时饰演怯懦而昏庸的角色，如《湘江会》中的齐景公；有时饰演贪官污吏或者卑鄙无耻的势利小人，如《审头刺汤》中的汤勤；还饰演自作聪明的人物，如《春草闯堂》中的胡进、《四进士》中的刘题、《六月雪》中的山阳知县等。

代表作品有《春草闯堂》《审头刺汤》《蝴蝶杯》《湘江会》《四进士》《六月雪》。

Wen Chou (civilian clown) is a subcategory of the Chou role. The characters who are portrayed by the Wen Chou are not necessarily all educated members of the literati; rather these roles do not require skills in martial arts. Wen Chou can be further divided into the Fangjin Chou ("kerchief" chou), Paodai Chou ("belt robe" chou), Chayi Chou ("tea garment" chou) and Xuezi Chou ("casual coat" chou).

Paodai Chou ("belt robe" chou), also known as Guanyi Chou ("official robes" chou), wears a jade belt around his waist, and a round-winged gauze cap on his head. The Paodai Chou refers to both positive and negative characters. The role sometimes portrays humorous emperors, senior officials and doctors. Sometimes they play straight, intelligent characters, such as Dong Wen in "The Butterfly Cup" (Hudie Bei)' sometimes they play cowardly and stupid characters, such as Emperor Qi Jinggong in "A Meeting at Xiang River" (Xiangjiang Hui). Sometimes they play corrupt or shameless villains, such as Tang Qin in the play "Assassinating Tang for the Approval of a Head" (Shen Tou Ci Tang). Other examples include Hu Jin in "Chun Cao Bursts into the Hall" (Chuncao Chuang Tang), Liu Ti in "The Lawsuit" (Si Jinshi), and the Magistrate of Shanyang County in "Snow in Midsummer" (Liu Yue Xue).

Representative works: "Chuncao Bursts into the Hall" (Chuncao Chuang Tang), "Assassinating Tang for the Approval of a Head" (Shen Tou Ci Tang), "The Butterfly Cup" (Hudie Bei), "A Meeting at Xiang River" (Xiangjiang Hui), "The Lawsuit" (Si Jinshi) and "Snow in Midsummer" (Liu Yue Xue).

茶衣是一种蓝布短褂子，是戏曲服装中最简陋的戏衣，属于古代劳动者专用的服装，所以茶衣丑扮演的都是劳动人民。角色形象数量众多，多以配演为主。这些人物个性鲜明，造型丰富，有忠厚老实、热情善良的好人，也有不务正业、好逸恶劳的恶人。茶衣包含两类：一类是茶衣，短的蓝布褂子，一般是对襟；另一类是大袖，一般系在旁边。茶衣和大袖系一个蓝色的或白色的小腰包，术语叫茶衣腰包。如《秋江》中的艄公、《芦中人》中的渔翁、《问樵闹府》中的樵夫、《骆马湖》中的酒保、《打樱桃》中的书童等。

代表作品有 《秋江 》《问樵闹府》《芦中人》《打樱桃》。

Chayi Chou (tea-garmented chou) is one kind of Wen Chou. The Chayi is a kind of hip length garment made of blue cloth with black sleeves that used to be worn by the working classes. Thus the characters played by the Chayi Chou are also all from the working classes. There are many different kinds of characters, and they appear in many performances. Each character is distinctive, some are honest and kind, whilst others are idle and wicked. There are two types of Chayi, one is a short blue casual coat with an opening at the centre of the front; the other has long sleeves, which usually are tied up to the side. A blue or white short apron-like skirt called Yao Bao is worn outside the trousers.Examples of Chayi Chou can be found in roles such as The Boatman in "Autumn River" (Qiu Jiang), The Fisherman in "The People of the Reeds" (Lu Zhong Ren), The Woodcutter in "Making a Disturbance in Ge's Mansion" (Wen Qiao Nao Fu), and The Bartender in "Luo Ma Lake"(Luo Ma Hu).

Representative works："Autumn River" (Qiu Jiang), "Making a Disturbance in Ge's Mansion" (Wen Qiao Nao Fu), "The People of the Reeds" (Lu Zhong Ren) and "Picking Cherries with Sticks" (Da Yingtao).

褶子丑说京白，有时穿长衫或箭衣，表演风格比茶衣丑略严谨，如《连升店》中的店主人、《苏三起解》中的崇公道等。代表作品有《苏三起解》《连升店》等。

Xuezi Chou ("casual coat" chou), speaks in jingbai (a style of speech similar to the Beijing dialect). The Xuezi Chou usually wears a long gown and an archer's uniform, whose performance style is more rigorous than the Chayi chou. Examples include The Inn Keeper in "Liansheng Inn" (Lian Sheng Dian), and Chong Gongdao in "Susan Setting Out for Trail" (Susan Qi Jie).

Representative works: "Liansheng Inn" (Lian Sheng Dian), and "Su San Setting Out for Trail" (Susan Qi Jie).

介于方巾丑与茶衣丑之间的角色。穿长衫或者箭衣，带髯口，头戴白毡帽。表演风格比茶衣丑更为严谨，以念白为主，说京白，有时也念方言，多扮演心地善良、性格诙谐的老年男子。在化妆上与其他丑角类别不同，在脸上勾画豆腐块的同时，在额头、眼角处勾画皱纹，还勾画白眉毛，突出老年人的年龄感。老丑所带的髯口多为“白五嘴”。

老丑塑造的角色，为社会下层的平民百姓。如《乌盆记》中以卖草鞋为生的张别古、《问樵闹府》中的砍柴樵夫。这类角色多穿老斗衣或大袖腰包，头戴白发鬏儿，以表现平民百姓的朴素本色。

代表作品有《乌盆记》《问樵闹府》。

Lao Chou (elderly chou) is in-between the Fangjin Chou and Chayi Chou. The Lao Chou wears a long gown or archer's uniform with rankou (artifical beard) and white felt cap. The performance style of the Lao Chou is more rigorous than the Chayi Chou. Recitation is very important, usually undertaken in jingbai (a style of speech similar to the Beijing accent), though sometimes the character speaks in other dialects.

The Lao Chou usually portrays kind and humorours elderly men. Unlike other kinds of Chou role, the Lao Chou has a painted patch of white across his face that looks somewhat like a block of tofu, with the addition of wrinkles on the brow and in the corners of the eyes. The whitening of the eyebrows also suggests that this is an elderly role. The Lao Chou usually wears a beard called a "bai wu zui" (literally "white five strands").

The Lao Chou role usually depicts people of the lower class. They usually wear clothes that are conventionally associated with old men called lao dou yi (or gowns with long sleeves). Examples include Zhang Bie Gu in "The Injustice" (Wupen Ji), and The Woodcutter in "Making a Disturbance in Ge's Masion" (Wen Qiao Nao Fu).

Representative works："The Injustice" (Wupen Ji), and "Making a Disturbance in Ge's Mansion" (Wen Qiao Nao Fu).

武丑又名“开口跳”，扮演身怀绝技、武功不凡的江湖武林侠客。在扮演有些人物时，除了擅长蹿蹦跳跃的功夫以外，还要善于念白，突显口齿伶俐，达到清脆悦耳的念诵效果。

如《三岔口》中的刘利华、《挡马》中的焦光普、《九龙杯》中的杨香武、《连环套》中的朱光祖、《雁翎甲》中的时迁等。

代表作品有《三岔口》《挡马》《九龙杯》《连环套》等。

Wu Chou (martial chou), also known as kao kou tiao ("open the mouth and jump"), performs plays that require special martial arts skills. In addition to being good at acrobatics and martial arts, actors must also be good at recitation. These skills in recitation serve to show through dialogue how the character is quick-witted. For this reason, the actor must recite lines with a crisp and pleasant voice. Examples of Wu Chou roles can be found in: Liu Lihua in "At the Crossroads" (San Cha Kou), Jiao Guangpu in "Stopping the Horse" (Dang Ma), Yang Xiangwu in "The Nine Dragon Cup" (Jiu Long Bei), Zhu Guangzu in "The Stratagem of Interlocking Rings" (Lian Huan Tao), and Shi Qian in "The Goose-Feather Armour" (Yan Ling Jia).

Representative works: "At the Crossroads" (Sancha Kou), "Stopping the Horse" (Dang Ma), "The Nine Dragon Cup" (Jiulong Bei) and "The Strategem of Interlocking Rings" (Lian Huan Tao).