TongTong
Sign in

下滑 (xià huá) — to slide down (a slope, etc.); (figurative) to decline, to go downhill

Definition

下滑 is a verb that pairs 滑 ('slide') with 下 ('down'), covering both literal sliding (on snow, slopes) and figurative decline (profits, performance). Compared with 下降 and 下跌, it emphasizes a gradual, ongoing slide rather than a sharp drop.

verb
to slide down (a slope, etc.)(figurative) to declineto go downhill

Examples

  • 下滑。
    Tā cóng dǒu qiào de xuě pō shàng màn màn xià huá.
    He slowly slid down the steep snow slope.
  • 下滑。
    Dì zhèn dǎo zhì shān tǐ dà miàn jī xià huá.
    The earthquake caused a large area of the mountain to slide down.
  • 下滑。
    Jīn nián gōng sī de lì rùn chí xù xià huá.
    This year, the company's profits have been continuously declining.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

下xiàdownward
滑huáslide

“下” indicates downward movement, and “滑” means to slide, so the meaning is sliding down or falling.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
骨
骨gǔ滑huá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

滑 pairs 水 (water) with 骨, which gives the sound.

Open 滑 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Change & Process

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.