低

dī

low

beneath; to lower (one's head); to let droop; to hang down; to incline

person (亻) + sound of dī (氐) = low, bowing down

亻 anchors the meaning in human posture — a person bending or bowing down. 氐 provides the sound dī and contributes little to the sense.

亻+氐→低

亻A personSemantic

氐A historical character referring to an ethnic groupPhonetic

过低

guò dī

too low

降低

jiàng dī

to reduce; to lower; to bring down

高不成低不就

gāo bù chéng dī bù jiù

can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one

高不凑低不就

gāo bù còu dī bù jiù

can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one

高低

gāo dī

height; level; (music) pitch

高低不就

gāo dī bù jiù

can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one

高低杠

gāo dī gàng

uneven bars (gymnastics)

高低潮

gāo dī cháo

the tide

高分低能

gāo fēn dī néng

high in score but low in ability (as a result of teaching to the test)

高高低低

gāo gāo dī dī

high and low

走低

zǒu dī

to go down

一见高低

yī jiàn gāo dī

lit. to fight it out with sb to see who is best (idiom)