低下

dīxià

adjective HSK 7 #10,095

Meanings

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

Characters

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

Examples

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.

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.

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