About
贬 is a phono-semantic compound. Its semantic component is the cowry shell radical 贝 (simplified as 贝), which relates to money, wealth, or economic value. The phonetic component is 乏. The character's original meaning referred to the economic act of reducing monetary value or lowering a price. This specific definition later broadened into political and social contexts, coming to mean the demotion of an official to a lower rank, or more generally, the act of belittling, disparaging, or expressing negative evaluation toward a person or object.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
不要贬低别人的努力。
他总是贬斥流行音乐。
这货币贬值得很厉害。
他被贬到一个偏远的分公司。
这种说法带有贬义。
评论家严厉贬损了这部新电影。
在逆境中，他从不自我贬抑。
由于他公开批评公司政策，不久就被贬职了。