About
The character 鄙, in its traditional form, illustrates a conceptual shift from the concrete to the abstract in its meaning over time. Its structure combines the radical 邑, indicating a settlement or city, with 啚, which originally depicted a granary, thus forming the early idea of an "outlying settlement" or "borderlands" where grain was stored, inherently distant from the cultural center. From this geographic sense of remoteness and rustic simplicity, its meaning extended metaphorically to describe qualities associated with such places, acquiring connotations of vulgarity, superficiality, and lack of refinement. This semantic extension further developed into a verb meaning to despise or hold in contempt, as one might look down upon something considered crude or unworthy, completing its transition from a term of location to one of moral and social judgment.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我鄙视说谎的人。
他的行为很卑鄙。
鄙人对此事不甚了解。
她鄙夷地转过头去。
粗鄙的玩笑往往伤人。
他的态度显得十分鄙陋。
尽管他出身卑微，但从不鄙弃自己的过去。
那种鄙俗的风气逐渐被社会摒弃。