底层

底層

dǐcéng

noun HSK 7-9 #11,752

Meanings

1 ground floor; bottom level
2 grassroots; the lowest social class
3 underlying; low-level

Characters

layer; floor; story

Literally 'bottom layer' - the lowest floor of a building, the lowest rung of society, or the foundational layer of a system.

Examples

HSK 3

底层人民的生活需要更多关注。

Dǐcéng rénmín de shēnghuó xūyào gèngduō guānzhù.

The lives of people at the bottom of society need more attention.

HSK 7-9

这个应用的底层代码需要重写。

Zhège yìngyòng de dǐcéng dàimǎ xūyào chóngxiě.

The underlying code of this application needs to be rewritten.

Tips

usage

底层 has three distinct uses: physical (bottom floor), social (lower class), and technical (low-level code/infrastructure). In tech, 底层技术 means foundational/low-level technology. In social commentary, 底层 is frank and somewhat blunt - more neutral alternatives include 基层 (grassroots).

Stroke Order

底 dǐ

层 céng