Taxonomy of meanings for 卑:　　

  • 卑 bēi (OC: pe MC: piɛ) 府移切 平 廣韻：【下也賤也亦姓蔡邕胡太傅碑有太傅掾鴈門卑整府移切十一 】
    • LOW
      • v[adN]N=placewhat is low, the low thing, a low place
      • nmlow terrain
      • vibe low
      • vichangebecome lower (in the air, as of flying)CH
      • grammaticalised: relational>BELOW
        • metaphorical>HUMBLE
          • nsubjectwhat is humble
          • nabchangedecline in status, humiliation
          • nabsocialhumility, humble status
          • v[adN]nonreferentialone who is of humble or low status
          • vadNlowly, humble, of low status, menial; have a low status
          • vadVhumbly
          • vibe lowly, humble, hold low social status, menial; have a low status; be on a low level; also of one's reputation: be low
          • viactbehave with great humility
          • vichangesink in states, get lower status
          • vipsychbe humble in attitude, submissive
          • vt+Ngradedbe humble/low in status as compared to
          • vt+prep+Ngradedbe of more lowly status than N
          • vtoNbehave humbly towards, humble oneself in front of
          • vtoNattitudinal(treat as humble >) treat with disrespect
          • vtoNattitudinaltreat (oneself) as (if) being of low status
          • vtoNcausativecause to be of low status> debase
          • vtoNcausativehumble (oneself), cause (oneself) to be humiliated
          • vtoNputativeregard as valueless
          • vpostadVat a low bureaucratic levelCH
          • vadNgradedthe humbler, the less distinguishedCH
          • POLITE
            • derogatory>VULGAR
              • vimean, vulgar, baseLZ
              • v[adN]base thingsLZ
              • putative>DESPISE
                • nabactdisrespect, contempt
                • vtoNpassiveget despised; be held in low esteem
                • vtoNputativeregard as vulgar or base (See also HUMBLE); perhaps also: treat as base
              • TENUOUS
        • 卑 ｂｉ３《集韻》補弭切，上紙幫。支部。
        • 卑 ｂａｎ１《類篇》逋還切，平刪幫。

          Additional information about 卑

          說文解字: 【卑】，賤也。執事也。 〔小徐本「執事也」作「執事者」。〕 從、甲。 【徐鍇曰：右重而左卑，故在甲下。】 【補移切】

            Criteria
          • DESPISE

            1. The most widely used general word for contempt is qīng 輕 (ant. zhòng 重 "rate as important"), and the word typically describes an attitude based on a critical judgment. See also UNIMPORTANT

            2. Yì 易 (ant. zhòng 重 "treat as important") focusses on the subjective failure to take someone or something seriously and does not necessarily involve a critical judgment.

            3. Bēi 卑 (ant. zūn 尊 "venerate as distinguished") refers to regarding a person as characterised by his or her low social standing.

            4. Jiàn 賤 (guì 貴 "hold in high esteem" and jìng 敬 "respect") are to regard someone as vulgar, and typically as of slight moral worth.

            5. Hòu 後 (ant. xiān 先 "put first") is to fail to show proper respect for someone.

            6. Xiǎo 小 and shǎo 少 (ant. duō 多 "rate highly") expresses a negative judgment on the significance of a person or thing.

            7. Ào 傲 adds the nuance of arrogance to the notion of contempt.

            8. Miè 蔑 "to regard someone with no respect" describes a purely psychological attitude.

            9.Mà4n 慢 refers to a demonstrative failure to show proper respect for someone.

            10. Dú 瀆 refers to a disrespectful attitude or disregard for someone or something.

          • LOW

            1. The standard word for something small in extension upwards is bēi 卑.

            NB: For spatial position below something else see BELOW.

          • HIGH

            1. The manifestly dominant general word is gāo 高 (ant. bēi 卑 "low" and xià 下 "low") which refers to concrete as well as abstract elevation.

            2. Shàng 上 (ant. xià 下 "lower") refers to the relatively high position of something, both abstractly and concretely.

            3. Chóng 崇 (ant. bēi 卑 "lowly") and lóng 隆 (ant. wū 污 ) adds the notion of impressiveness to that of high elevation.

            4. Qiáo 喬 refers specifically to the imposing tallness of trees.

            5. Jùn 峻, wéi 巍, yán 巖, é 峨 are among the large number of poetic words referring to the imposing height of mountains.

            6. Wēi 危 adds to the notion of the imposing (almost threatening) hight of something that of steepness of the slope, and the difficulty of access.

            7. Lóng 隆 refers to imposing and impressive height, typically - but not always - of something artificial.

          • NOBLE

            [ABSOLUTE/GRADED]

            [BASIC/MARGINAL]

            [ELEVATED/FAMILIAR]

            [HIGH-DEGREE/LOW-DEGREE]

            [OBJECTIVE/SUBJECTIVE]

            [OFFICIAL/INOFFICIAL]

            [PRIVATE/PUBLIC]

            1. Zūn 尊 (ant. bēi 卑 "lowly, vulgar") is the current word for publicly recognised objective nobility and high status, and the word refers to objective social status in society.

            [ELEVATED], [GRADED], [HIGH-DEGREE], [OBJECTIVE], [PUBLIC], [SOCIAL]

            2. Guì 貴 (ant. jiàn 賤 "of low character") adds to the notion of high social status that of subjectively appreciated nobility of character.

            [GRADED], [HIGH-DEGREE], [PERSONAL], [PUBLIC], [SUBJECTIVE]

            3. Gāo 高 (ant. xià 下 "of lowly status") refers to objective high position in a hierarchy.

            [OBJECTIVE], [PUBLIC], [HIGH-DEGREE]

            4. Shàng 尚 (ant. bǐ 鄙 "of vulgar status") adds to the notion of objective high position in a hierarchy the subjectively appreciated feature of admirability

            [MARGINAL], [SUBJECTIVE]

            5. Shàng 上 (ant. xià 下 "of lower status") refers occasionally to (comparative) seniority in a hierarchy.

            [HIGH-DEGREE], [OBJECTIVE], [OFFICIAL], [PUBLIC]

            6. Yòu 右 (ant. zuǒ 左 "be of relatively lower status") can occasionally refer to relative seniority within the bureaucracy.

            [GRADED], [OBJECTIVE], [OFFICIAL], [PUBLIC]

          • FAMOUS

            1. The current general term for illustiousness and extraordinary fame is xiǎn 顯 (ant. huì 晦 "obscure").

            2. Míng 明 (ant. yōu 幽 "without any special lustre") adds to the notion of illustriousness that of supernatural authority.

            3. Lōng 隆 and chóng 崇 (all ant. bēi 卑 "humble") adds to the general notion illustriousness overtones of elevated removedness from the world of the ordinary.

            4. Liè 烈 and hè 赫 focus on the image of glamour radiating from those who are illustrious.

            5. Wàng 望 (ant. wēi 微 "of slight fame" and hán 寒 "of no formal distinction") focusses especially on the aspect of illustriousness that consists in profound public admiration.

            6. Wén 聞 is occasionally used to refer to a state of being much heard-of and well-known.

            7. Róng 榮 refers to resplendent glory on a large scale.

          • HUMBLE

            1. The current general word for objective low social status without any connotation concerning moral worth is bēi 卑 (ant. zūn 尊 "objectively venerable by social standards").

            2. Jiàn 賤 (ant. 貴 "objectively of high standard, but also personally and subjectively judged to deserve this high status") typically adds to the notion of objectively judged low status that of subjectively appreciated moral decrepitude.

            3. Xiǎo 小 and shào 少 (all ant. zhǎng 長 "senior") refers to relatively junior status in the bureaucratic hierarchy.

            4. Xià 下 refers to low status in absolute terms.

            5. Wēi 微 refers to a person being of low status so as to be of no substantial political or social importance. See UNIMPORTANT

            NB: One's rank wèi 位 may be said to be zūn 尊 "elevated" or bēi 卑 "lowly", but one's status as such could never be jiàn 賤.

          • HUMILITY

            TERMINOLOGY NEEDS TO BE MOVED HERE.

            自卑

            謙虛

            虛心

          • ARROGANT

            [ABSOLUTE/GRADED]

            [BEHAVIOUR/DISPOSITION]

            [HABITUAL/OCCASIONAL]

            [IMPERSONAL/PERSONAL]

            1. The most current general word for arrogance of attitude and in behaviour is probably jiāo 驕 (ant.* bēi 卑 "humble in attitude") which refers to an overbearing exaggerated self-confidence and does not essentially involve a negative attitude towards others.

            [DISPOSITION], [GENERAL], [IMPERSONAL]

            2. Ào 傲 (ant. qiān 謙 "unassuming") is primarily an arrogant attitude towards others and a failure to recognise the dignity of others in action. (NB: Only in post-Buddhist times does the word come to designate justified pride.)

            [DISPOSITION], [GRADED], [IMPERSONAL]

            3. Jù 倨 (ant. gōng 恭 "show proper politeness") is primarily an informal physical pose and then by extension nonchalance and a failure to show proper respect for others.

            [BEHAVIOUR], [HABITUAL], [HIGH-DEGREE], [IMPERSONAL]

            4. Màn 慢 (ant. jìng 敬 "show proper respect") refers to arrogance in action as a failure to show proper diligence in polite behaviour towards someone.

            [BEHAVIOUR], [HABITUAL!], [PERSONAL]

            5. Jiàn 僭 may perhaps be construed as arrogance as a result of a failure to recognise boundaries and limits to what is permissible for one, and where another person's responsibilities begin. But the word is marginal in the group. See ARROGATE.

            [BEHAVIOUR], [OCCASIONAL], [PERSONAL]

          • SUMMIT

            1. The most current general word for the topmost part of anything is probably dǐng 頂 (ant. lù 麓 "foot of mountain", * dāng 當 "bottom").

            2. Diān 顛 / 巔 (ant. xià 下 "foot (of mountain") refers most often to mountain tops, but as the graphic etymology of the original character might lead one to expect, the word can also refer to the crown of the head.

            3. Lóng 隆 (ant. bēi 卑 refers to the highest point of anything but adds the connotation of general venerability.

            4. Jí 極 and zhì 至 "ultimate point" are very abstract words referring, occasionally, to the highest point of concrete objects.

            5. Liáng 梁 refers to the ridge at the top of a mountain range.

            6. Fēng 峰 is a very rare word in pre-Buddhist Chinese and refers to the top of a high mountain.

          • CONTRACT

            1. The current general word for a contract of any kind is yuē 約.

            2. Méng 盟 refers to a momentous formal (typically written) contract or oath of allegiance betwen feudal lords confirmed by ritual blood sacrifice, although such oaths could occasionally be taken by humble individuals (bī rén 卑人 "persons of low status") in which case the day of the ritual was not recorded.

            3. Shì 誓 is sometimes used in ancient texts to refer to a sworn covenant between individuals, but the word also refers to a personal oath. See OATH.

            4. Quàn 券 and the somewhat more archaic qì 契 refers to the physical object which constitutes the written version of a contract or an agreement. See TALLY.

          • BELOW

            [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

            [[COMMON/RARE]]

            [ELEVATED/FAMILIAR]

            [+FIG/LITERAL]

            1. The standard term referring to the relatively low position of something vis-a-vis something else is xià 下 (ant. shàng 上 "above").

            [GENERAL]; [[COMMON]]

            2. Bēi 卑 (ant. gāo 高 "high, elevated") can refer to what is physically low and therefore possibly or presumbably of lower status. See mainly LOW and HUMBLE

            [+FIG]

            3. Dǐ 底 "below" (ant. dǐng 頂 "top") was late to emerge as a colloquial competitor.

            [FAMILIAR]; [[RARE]]

            4. Lù 麓 refers to the foot of a mountain, and the contrast with the many words for mountain summits is striking.

            [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

            Word relations
          • Ant: (HUMBLE)倨 / 踞/ARROGANT Jù 倨 (ant. gōng 恭 "show proper politeness") is primarily an informal physical pose and then by extension nonchalance and a failure to show proper respect for others. [BEHAVIOUR], [HABITUAL], [HIGH-DEGREE], [IMPERSONAL]
          • Ant: (HUMBLE)顯/FAMOUS The current general term for illustiousness and extraordinary fame is xiǎn 顯 (ant. huì 晦 "obscure").
          • Ant: (HUMBLE)尊/NOBLE Zūn 尊 (ant. bēi 卑 "lowly, vulgar") is the current word for publicly recognised objective nobility and high status, and the word refers to objective social status in society. [ELEVATED], [HIGH-DEGREE], [OBJECTIVE], [PUBLIC], [SOCIAL]
          • Ant: (DESPISE)崇/RESPECT Chóng 崇 and zōng 宗 refers to distant and typically religious veneration of a spirit or person very highly regarded. SHI 靡神不宗"there are no spirits which we have not honoured"
          • Ant: (LOW)高/HIGH The manifestly dominant general word is gāo 高(ant. bēi 卑 "low" and xià 下 "low") which refers to concrete as well as abstract elevation.
          • Epithet: (HUMBLE)拜/BOW DOWN The general word for all kinds of bowing recognised as ritually correct is bài 拜, which involves kneeling on the ground, moving one's head against one's hands joined in the obligatory Confucian manner, and bowing one's torso forward, and this word is often rich in further semantic nuances.
          • Assoc: (HUMBLE)賤/HUMBLE Jiàn 賤 (ant. 貴 "objectively of high standard, but also personally and subjectively judged to deserve this high status") typically adds to the notion of objectively judged low status that of subjectively appreciated moral decrepitude.
          • Synon: (HUMBLE)謙/YIELD Qiān 謙(ant. jiāo 驕 "arrogant in attitude" and ào 傲 "impolite and arrogant in action") refers to the general attitude or disposition towards giving precedence to others.