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低贱 (dī jiàn) — low and degrading, base, servile

Definition

低贱 (dījiàn) means 'lowly and base' — used to describe people, origins, or work that is regarded as degrading in status. Carries strong moral disdain, stronger and more pejorative than 卑贱 bēijiàn (HSK7), which leans more toward humble/low in rank.

verb
low and degradingbaseservile

Examples

  • 低贱，。
    Zhè zhǒng xíng wéi shí zài tài dī jiàn, lìng rén bù chǐ.
    This kind of behavior is truly base and contemptible.
  • 低贱，。
    Tā chū shēn dī jiàn, dàn píng nǔ lì gǎi biàn le mìng yùn.
    He came from a lowly background, but changed his fate through hard work.
  • ，低贱。
    Zài nà ge shè huì lǐ, pú rén bèi kàn zuò dī jiàn de zhí yè.
    In that society, servants were seen as a degrading profession.

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
贱jiànbase

'低' (low) and '贱' (base) together mean lowly and degrading.

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 →

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 賤; 贱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèi
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān賤jiàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 賤 uses 貝 to carry the meaning and 戔 for the sound; the simplified 贱 is a later shorthand.

Open 贱 →
Appears in
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