Definitions

my (polite); poor; ruined; shabby; worn out; defeated

Etymology

Depicts a hand () beating a cloth with specks of dust ().

Semantic:

About

The character "敝" emerged from an ideographic composition that merges a element representing cloth with a component signifying a striking action, conceptually depicting fabric worn down through repeated beating. This foundational sense of tattered or shabby material provided the basis for its literal meaning, which later broadened to encompass figurative uses, most notably as a modest self-referential term meaning "my" or "our" in formal contexts, where it functions to humbly diminish one's own possessions or standing. Its structural arrangement has remained largely unchanged, maintaining a visual allusion to the process of deterioration that originally defined its semantic core.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

校有很多学生。

Bì xiào yǒu hěn duō xuéshēng.

Our school has many students.

公司正在招聘。

Bì gōng sī zhèngzài zhāopìn.

Our company is recruiting.

请光临处参观。

Qǐng guānglín bì chù cānguān.

Please visit our place for a tour.

他穿着衣出门。

Tā chuānzhe bì yī chūmén.

He went out wearing shabby clothes.

人的意见仅供参考。

Bì rén de yìjiàn jǐn gōng cānkǎo.

My opinion is for reference only.

公司致力于环境保护。

Bì gōng sī zhìlì yú huánjìng bǎohù.

Our company is committed to environmental protection.

尽管校设备陈旧,但教学质量很高。

Jǐnguǎn bì xiào shèbèi chénjiù, dàn jiàoxué zhìliàng hěn gāo.

Although our school's equipment is outdated, the teaching quality is very high.

人看来,这项政策需要改进。

Zài bì rén kàn lái, zhè xiàng zhèngcè xūyào gǎijìn.

In my humble opinion, this policy needs improvement.