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低谷 (dī gǔ) — low point, trough, nadir (figurative, of a cycle or situation)

Definition

低谷 is the figurative 'low point / trough' for cycles like a career or economy — it is the abstract valley, not a physical one like 山谷.

noun
low pointtroughnadir (figurative, of a cycle or situation)

Examples

  • 低谷。
    Tā zuì jìn shì yè chǔ yú dī gǔ.
    He is currently at a low point in his career.
  • 低谷？
    Jīng jì dī gǔ shén me shí hou cái huì guò qù?
    When will the economic trough finally pass?
  • 低谷。
    Zǒu chū rén shēng de dī gǔ xū yào yǒng qì.
    It takes courage to walk out of life's valleys.

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.

低dīlow
谷gǔvalley

低 gives the level and 谷 the valley, so the word describes a low point or trough.

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 →

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

The shape of 谷 comes from a picture of a valley: an opening between two near-parallel lines for mountain walls.

Open 谷 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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