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低下 (dī xià) — low (in status, quality, degree, etc.); lowly; humble

Definition

Adjective for 'low' in status, quality, or ability — emphasizes a negative judgment. Unlike 卑微 (inferior, servile) or 谦虚/谦逊 (modest, a virtue), 低下 describes an actual deficient condition rather than humility or virtue.

adjective
low (in status, quality, degree, etc.)lowlyhumble

Examples

  • 低下。
    Tā de shè huì dì wèi dī xià.
    His social status is low.
  • 低下。
    Zhè zhǒng chǎn pǐn de zhì liàng fēi cháng dī xià.
    The quality of this product is very low.
  • 低下低下。
    Tā yīn wèi néng lì dī xià ér néng lì dī xià shī qù le gōng zuò.
    He lost his job because of low ability.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

低dīlow
下xiàdown; low

低 and 下 both point to lowness, so the word describes humble status or a lowered position.

Characters in this word

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
亻Written in full as人rénman, person
Sound part声符shēngfú
氐
氐dī低dī
Same sound today

In 低, the left side 亻 is a person, and the right side 氐 gives the sound; the image is a person lowering or bowing themselves.

Open 低 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Good & BadSize & Dimension

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