Mnemonic
A drop of sweat rolls off a lowly peasant toiling in a field. Ivy creeps over his crumbling shack, slowly devouring it. He doesn't bother cutting the ivy back—someone so lowly feels too insignificant to fight even a weed reclaiming his only shelter.
Additional thoughts
Picture the drop of sweat as a symbol of exhausting, thankless labor. The field is barren and neglected, mirroring the peasant's low status. Ivy consuming his home shows how the lowly are overtaken by everything around them.Quick recall
A drop of sweat falls from a lowly peasant in a field as ivy devours his home.Details
The keyword for 卑 is lowly. This kanji conveys the sense of being humble, base, or inferior in status or character. It can describe something mean, vulgar, or degraded, often carrying a negative connotation of self-deprecation or contemptibility. In certain contexts, it also relates to modesty or humility, though it more frequently implies something looked down upon or considered beneath others.
- On'yomi
- ひ
- Kun'yomi
- いや.しい、いや.しむ、いや.しめる