低俗 (dī sú) — vulgar, low-class, in poor taste | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Refers to content (jokes, shows, ads) that is tasteless or offensive in a crude, base way — a stronger, more judgmental term than just 'low quality', naming something as unfit for polite audiences.

adjective

vulgarlow-classin poor taste

Examples

低俗。
Zhè zhǒng dī sú de xiào hua ràng rén hěn bù shū fu.
This kind of vulgar joke makes people very uncomfortable.
低俗，。
Jié mù nèi róng guò yú dī sú, bú shì hé ér tóng guān kàn.
The show's content is too vulgar and not suitable for children.
低俗。
Tā pī píng nà xiē dī sú de guǎng gào quē fá chuàng yì.
He criticized those vulgar advertisements as lacking creativity.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

俗súvulgar

低 means low, and 俗 means vulgar or common, so the two ideas combine to describe something in poor taste.

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.

亻氐低

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.

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

亻谷俗

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

谷

谷gǔ俗sú

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

俗 is built from 亻, a person, and 谷, which gives the sound; it refers to customs of people.

Appears in

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