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高下 (gāo xià) — superiority and inferiority; relative quality (in a competition or comparison)

Definition

A formal, literary noun meaning 'which is better or worse' — used in comparisons (esp. 分高下, 难分高下) to judge relative quality. Almost never used in everyday speech.

noun
superiority and inferiorityrelative quality (in a competition or comparison)

Examples

  • ，高下。
    Liǎng duì shí lì jiē jìn, nán fēn gāo xià.
    The two teams are close in strength — it's hard to tell which is better.
  • 高下。
    Tā men yuē hǎo zhōu mò zài qiú chǎng shàng jiàn gè gāo xià.
    They agreed to meet on the court this weekend and settle the score.
  • ，高下。
    Zhè xiē chǎn pǐn gè yǒu qiān qiū, shí zài fēn bù chū gāo xià.
    These products each have their own merits — it's really hard to tell which is superior.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

高gāohigh
下xiàlow

高 and 下 contrast high and low, giving the idea of relative quality or superiority.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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 →
Appears in
Comparison & Degree

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