低调 低調 dī diào low pitch / quiet (voice) / subdued / low-key / low-profile 低级 低級 dī jí low level / rudimentary / vulgar / low / inferior syn 满分 滿分 mǎn fēn full marks 低潮 dī cháo low tide / low ebb 低沉 dī chén (of weather) overcast / gloomy / (of a voice) low and deep / low-spirited / downcast syn 下级 下級 xià jí low ranking / low level / underclass / subordinate syn 墨迹 墨跡 mò jì ink marks / original calligraphy or painting of famous person syn 低压 低壓 dī yā low pressure / low voltage 低档 低檔 dī dàng low-grade / of low worth or rank / poor quality / inferior syn 金榜题名 金榜題名 jīn bǎng tí míng to win top marks in the imperial examinations syn 高分 gāo fēn high marks / high score 扣分 kòu fēn to deduct marks (when grading school work) / to have marks deducted / penalty points / to lose points for a penalty or error 低碳 dī tàn (attributive) low-carbon / low-carb (diet) 洼 窪 wā depression / low-lying area / low-lying / sunken syn 马莎 馬莎 mǎ shā Marks and Spencers, UK retail chain / Martha (name) 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 句读 句讀 jù dòu pausing at the end of a phrase or sentence (in former times, before punctuation marks were used) / punctuation / periods and commas / sentences and phrases 低缓 低緩 dī huǎn low and unhurried (voice etc) / low and gently sloping (terrain) syn 开斋节 開齋節 kāi zhāi jié (Islam) Eid al-Fitr, festival that marks the end of Ramadan 隐藏 隱藏 yǐn cáng to hide / to conceal / to mask / to shelter / to harbor (i.e. keep sth hidden) / to hide oneself / to lie low / to nestle / hidden / implicit / private / covert / recessed (lighting) syn 小声 小聲 xiǎo shēng in a low voice / (speak) in whispers 廉价 廉價 lián jià cheaply-priced / low-cost syn 埋伏 mái fú to ambush / to lie in wait for / to lie low / ambush syn 扫地 掃地 sǎo dì to sweep the floor / (fig.) (of one's reputation etc) to reach rock bottom / to be at an all-time low syn 小人 xiǎo rén person of low social status (old) / I, me (used to refer humbly to oneself) / nasty person / vile character syn 下流 xià liú lower course of a river / low-class / mean and lowly / vulgar / obscene syn 低下 dī xià low status / lowly / to lower (one's head) syn 音调 音調 yīn diào pitch of voice (high or low) / pitch (of a musical note) / tone syn 低温 低溫 dī wēn low temperature 低声 低聲 dī shēng in a low voice / softly syn 低谷 dī gǔ valley / trough (as opposed to peaks) / fig. low point / lowest ebb / nadir of one's fortunes syn 深沉 shēn chén deep / profound / (of a person) reserved / undemonstrative / (of a voice, sound etc) deep / low-pitched syn 谷底 gǔ dǐ valley floor / (fig.) lowest ebb / all-time low syn 自卑 zì bēi to have low self-esteem / to abase oneself syn 低价 低價 dī jià low price syn 矮小 ǎi xiǎo short and small / low and small / undersized syn 无精打采 無精打采 wú jīng dǎ cǎi dispirited and downcast (idiom) / listless / in low spirits / washed out 销声匿迹 銷聲匿跡 xiāo shēng nì jì to vanish without trace (idiom) / to lie low syn 低劣 dī liè inferior quality / substandard / low-grade syn 小妹 xiǎo mèi little sister / girl / (Tw) young female employee working in a low-level role dealing with the public (assistant, waitress, attendant etc) 淡水 dàn shuǐ potable water (water with low salt content) / fresh water 马背 馬背 mǎ bèi horse's back / (traditional Chinese architecture) roof with a low-slung curved ridgelines and geometric shapes on the upper gable walls at the ends of the roof ridges 避风 避風 bì fēng to take shelter from the wind / to lie low / to stay out of trouble 卑贱 卑賤 bēi jiàn lowly / mean and low syn 苦闷 苦悶 kǔ mèn depressed / dejected / feeling low syn 细语 細語 xì yǔ to chat with a low voice syn 低收入 dī shōu rù low income syn 低迷 dī mí blurred (landscape etc) / low (spirits) / in a slump (economy) syn 低廉 dī lián cheap / inexpensive / low syn 低空 dī kōng low altitude 不快 bù kuài unhappy / in low spirits / (of a knife) not sharp syn 低速 dī sù low speed 贱卖 賤賣 jiàn mài to sell cheaply / sacrifice / low price / discount sale 缺血 quē xuè (of an organ) to have insufficient blood supply / (of a blood bank) to run low on blood supplies 低频 低頻 dī pín low frequency 花坛 花壇 huā tán decorative mass planting of flowers and shrubs, often bounded by a low masonry border, and often part of a streetscape syn 低洼 低窪 dī wā low-lying syn 平底 píng dǐ flat bottomed / low heeled syn 低垂 dī chuí to droop / to hang low syn 悄声 悄聲 qiǎo shēng quietly / in a low voice syn 低血压 低血壓 dī xuè yā low blood pressure 贵贱 貴賤 guì jiàn noble and lowly / high versus low social hierarchy of ruler to people, father to son, husband to wife in Confucianism 低息 dī xī low-interest 卑下 bēi xià base / low syn 低烧 低燒 dī shāo a low fever (up to 38°C) 低热 低熱 dī rè a low fever (up to 38°C) 窑子 窯子 yáo zi (old) low-grade brothel syn 洼地 窪地 wā dì low-lying ground / depression syn 回落 huí luò to fall back / to return to low level after a rise (in water level, price etc) syn 假冒伪劣 假冒偽劣 jiǎ mào wěi liè cheap quality counterfeit (goods) / low-quality commodities syn 低矮 dī ǎi short / low 安全期 ān quán qī safe period / safe days of a woman's menstrual cycle (low risk of conception) 怅惘 悵惘 chàng wǎng distracted / listless / in low spirits syn 隐伏 隱伏 yǐn fú to hide / to lie low syn 灌水 guàn shuǐ to irrigate / to pour water into / to inject water into meat to increase its weight (plumping) / to cook the books / to post low-value messages (small talk etc) on Internet forums 低端 dī duān low-end 低成本 dī chéng běn low cost / inexpensive 偏低 piān dī to be on the low side / to be inadequate (e.g. of a salary) 低胸 dī xiōng low-cut (dress) / plunging (neckline) 过低 過低 guò dī too low 慢速 màn sù slow / low-speed 廉租房 lián zū fáng low-rent housing 低层 低層 dī céng low level 低保真 dī bǎo zhēn low fidelity / lo-fi 找遍 zhǎo biàn to search everywhere / to search high and low / to comb 芝麻官 zhī ma guān low ranking official / petty bureaucrat syn 偏锋 偏鋒 piān fēng (calligraphy) technique in which the shaft of the brush is held at a low angle, so that the tip of the brush runs along the edge of the stroke (cf. 正鋒|正锋[zheng4feng1] and 側鋒|侧锋[ce4feng1]) / (fig.) unorthodox or improper way of doing things 低阶 低階 dī jiē low level 看扁 kàn biǎn to have a low opinion of 下拜 xià bài to bow down low / to make obeisance / to kneel and bow 慢火 màn huǒ low heat (cooking) 淫贱 淫賤 yín jiàn morally loose, lewd and low, lascivious and mean / wanton 避风头 避風頭 bì fēng tou to lie low (until the fuss dies down) 能上能下 néng shàng néng xià ready to take any job, high or low 低气压 低氣壓 dī qì yā low pressure / depression (meteorology) 枯水期 kū shuǐ qī period of low water level (winter in north China) 枯水 kū shuǐ scarce water / low water level 助动车 助動車 zhù dòng chē low-powered motorized scooter or bike 低耗 dī hào low consumption (energy, fuel etc) 