Chinese Character: 贱
1. Character Basics
Radical: 贝/bèi radical (贝字旁)
Stroke Count: 9
Stroke Order:
2. Pronunciation
Pinyin: jiàn (fourth tone)
3. Meaning
cheap, low-priced, worthless, inferior, humble
4. Common Words
- 便宜 (pián yi) - cheap, inexpensive
- 贵贱 (guì jiàn) - expensive and cheap, high and low
- 低贱 (dī jiàn) - lowly, humble, inferior
- 贫贱 (pín jiàn) - poor and lowly
- 贱价 (jiàn jià) - low price
- 下贱 (xià jiàn) - base, mean, contemptible
5. Grammar & Usage
贱 is an adjective that means "cheap" or "low-priced". It can also be used to describe something of low quality or someone of low social status.
When describing prices, 贱 is often used in phrases like 价格很贱 (jià gé hěn jiàn) meaning "the price is very cheap" or 贱卖 (jiàn mài) meaning "sell cheaply".
贱 can also be used in a self-deprecating way to refer to oneself, such as 贱妾 (jiàn qiè) which was a humble term used by women in ancient China to refer to themselves.
When used to describe people, 贱 can have negative connotations, such as 贱人 (jiàn rén) meaning "contemptible person" or "base person".
6. Cultural Background
The character 贱 has a long history in Chinese culture and language. Originally, it referred to the value of goods in relation to money, as indicated by the 贝 (bèi, shell, ancient Chinese currency) radical.
In traditional Chinese society, 贱 was often used to describe people of lower social status, such as servants, laborers, and women. This reflected the hierarchical nature of traditional Chinese society.
Today, 贱 is primarily used to describe the low price or low quality of goods. It is less commonly used to describe people's social status, as this usage is considered impolite in modern Chinese society.
The character 贱 is also used in many idioms and proverbs, such as 贫贱不能移 (pín jiàn bù néng yí) meaning "poverty and lowliness cannot change one's integrity" or "one should not be corrupted by poverty".
7. Example Sentence
句子 (jù zi): 这种水果很贱，人人都买得起。
Pronunciation (pīn yīn): Zhè zhǒng shuǐ guǒ hěn jiàn, rén rén dōu mǎi de qǐ.
Translation (fān yì): This kind of fruit is very cheap, everyone can afford it.
8. Memory Tips
The character 贱 consists of two parts: 贝 (bèi, shell, ancient currency) on the bottom and 戋 (jiān, small, few) on top. You can remember it by thinking of "small (戋) amount of money (贝)" which relates to its meaning of "cheap" or "low-priced".
Another way to remember: 贱 sounds like "jiàn" and means "cheap". Think of the phrase "价格太贱" (jià gé tài jiàn) meaning "the price is too cheap".
The radical 贝 (bèi, shell) at the bottom of the character clearly indicates that it is related to money or value, which fits with its meaning of describing something as cheap or low in value.