贱

賤

jiàn

戋 + 贝

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

jiàn (adjective) cheap; inexpensive

jiàn (adjective) lowly; despicable

jiàn (adjective) humble; my (in self-reference)

Etymology

Costing little 戋 money 贝; 戋 also provides the pronunciation

About

贱 (traditional 賤) is a phono-semantic compound combining the semantic radical 贝 (cowrie shell, representing money) with the phonetic component 戋, which also means "small" or "little" and reinforces the idea of low cost. Its primary meaning is "cheap" or "inexpensive" for goods, and this economic sense extends to people, describing low social status, humble birth, or base moral character, transferring the notion of little monetary worth to a lack of social or ethical esteem.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Warring States (475-221 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

水果今天很贱。

Shuǐguǒ jīntiān hěn jiàn.

Fruits are very cheap today.

他贱卖了旧房子。

Tā jiàn mài le jiù fángzi.

He sold the old house cheaply.

贱价出售所有库存。

Jiàn jià chūshòu suǒyǒu kùcún.

Selling all inventory at a cheap price.

卑贱出身不影响成功。

Bēijiàn chūshēn bù yǐngxiǎng chénggōng.

Lowly birth does not affect success.

贵贱之分早已过时。

Guì jiàn zhī fēn zǎo yǐ guòshí.

The distinction between noble and lowly is already outdated.

犯贱的行为让人讨厌。

Fàn jiàn de xíngwéi ràng rén tǎoyàn.

Acting cheaply makes people annoyed.

不要因为价贱而盲目购买。

Bùyào yīnwèi jià jiàn ér mángmù gòumǎi.

Do not blindly buy because the price is cheap.

在市场经济学中，贱买贵卖是基本策略。

Zài shìchǎng jīngjì xué zhōng, jiàn mǎi guì mài shì jīběn cèlüè.

In market economics, buying cheap and selling dear is a basic strategy.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 戋

Component: 贝

贱