可鄙 (kě bǐ) — despicable, mean | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

adjective

despicablemean

Examples

可鄙。
Tā de xíng wéi fēi cháng kě bǐ.
His behavior is very despicable.
可鄙。
Zhè zhǒng kě bǐ de zuò fǎ ràng rén kàn bù qǐ.
This kind of despicable act makes people look down on him.
，可鄙。
Wèi le lì yì chū mài péng you, shí zài tài kě bǐ le.
Betraying friends for profit is really too despicable.

Origin

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

可kěcan be

鄙bǐdespise

可 means can be and 鄙 means despise, so together they mean worthy of contempt.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

丂

丂kǎo可kě

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

啚啚bǐborder town
邑邑yìcity

鄙 began as 啚, a form for border town. It later adds 邑, a city, beside it.

Appears in

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