低下

dīxià

adjective HSK 7-9 #10,095

Meanings

1 low; inferior
2 lowly (in status or quality)

Characters

Two words meaning 'low' combined for emphasis - doubly low.

Examples

HSK 3

他低下头，不敢看她。

Tā dīxià tóu, bù gǎn kàn tā.

He lowered his head, not daring to look at her.

HSK 4

这里的工作效率太低下了。

Zhèlǐ de gōngzuò xiàolǜ tài dīxià le.

The work efficiency here is way too low.

Tips

grammar

低下 has two uses: as an adjective meaning 'low/inferior' (效率低下, 'low efficiency'), and as a verb-complement meaning 'to lower' (低下头, 'lower one's head'). The adjective is formal; the verb use is common in everyday speech.

Stroke Order

低 dī

下 xià