鄙

bǐ

outskirts; rustic; vulgar; humble; to despise

Meaning

  • Spatial/Administrative: The outskirts, suburbs, or borderlands; the rural fringe far from the center of power (often appearing in opposition to 京 or 都).
  • Qualitative/Social: Rustic, uncouth, vulgar, base, or despicable.
  • Ritual Humility: Used as a self-deprecating marker for one's own opinions or status (e.g., 鄙見) in formal correspondence or courtly speech.

Grammar and usage

  • Noun/Adjective: Denotes a location (the outskirts) or a quality (vulgar/low).
  • Verb: To despise or look down upon.

Distinctions

  • vs. 卑 (bēi): While both mean "low," 卑 typically refers to vertical hierarchy and rank, whereas 鄙 refers to cultural distance and lack of refinement.
  • vs. 俗 (sú): Both overlap in meanings of "vulgarity," but 俗 emphasizes the common or worldly, while 鄙 retains a specific connotation of being from the periphery.

Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.