下等 (xià děng) — low-grade, inferior | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Adjective for 'low-grade, inferior' — used of goods, service, or quality, not people. Strongly negative; for people use 卑鄙 or 低级.

adjective

low-gradeinferior

Examples

下等。
Zhè zhǒng xià děng cái liào hěn róng yì sǔn huài.
This kind of low-grade material is easily damaged.
下等，。
Tā men zhī mài xià děng chǎn pǐn, jià gé hěn dī.
They only sell inferior products at very low prices.
下等。
xià děng De fú wù tài dù ràng rén hěn bù mǎn yì.
The inferior service attitude makes people very dissatisfied.

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 (lower) plus 等 (grade) forms low-grade.

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.

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

竹寺等

Meaning part形符xíngfú

竹竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

寺

寺sì等děng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 竹 shows bamboo strips used for writing and sorting; the bottom 寺 once gave the sound, but now sounds different.

Appears in

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