低档 (dī dàng) — low-grade, low-end, inferior (in quality or ran…

Definition

adjective

low-gradelow-endinferior (in quality or rank)

低档。
Zhè jiā shāng diàn zhī mài dī dàng shāng pǐn.
This store only sells low-end goods.
低档。
Zhè zhǒng dī dàng chǎn pǐn hěn kuài jiù bèi shì chǎng táo tài le.
This kind of low-grade product was quickly eliminated by the market.
低档。
Tā nìng yuàn duō huā qián yě bù mǎi dī dàng de dōng xī.
He would rather spend more money than buy inferior things.

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.

低 describes the level of 档.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 檔; 档 is its simplified writing.

木當檔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

當

當dāng檔dàng

Same sound today

The traditional form 檔 pairs 木, a tree, with 當 as the sound part. The simplified 档 is an abbreviation of 檔.

Appears in