卑 (bēi) — low, inferior; (literary) modest, humble
Definition
Literary bound form meaning 'low / inferior' (as in 卑鄙 despicable, 自卑 self-abasing) or the classical 'humble, modest'. It is not used alone in modern speech; pair it with a second character.
bound form
lowinferior(literary) modesthumble
Examples
- ，。Tā chū shēn bēi wēi, dàn cóng bú fàng qì.He comes from a humble background but never gives up.
- 。Zuò rén bù néng tài zì bēi.One should not be too self-abasing.
- 。Zhè zhǒng xíng wéi tài bēi bǐ le.This kind of behavior is too despicable.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 甲甲jiǎfan
- 𠂇𠂇𠂇hand
卑 puts 甲 (fan) with 𠂇 (hand), drawing a hand holding a fan, showing a servant.
Appears in
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