Dictionary › 下

下

xià

Old HSK 1 HSK 3.0 character level 1 Character

下 (xià) means "down". It is an HSK 3.0 level 1 word, and was HSK 1 in the old six-level list.

What 下 means

1. down
2. downwards
3. below
4. lower
5. later
6. next (week etc)
7. second (of two parts)
8. to decline
9. to go down
10. to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc)
11. measure word to show the frequency of an action

How 下 is used in grammar

下 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Directional Complements: 来/去, 上/下/进/出/回 (HSK 2)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 1, nouns (方位名词); level 2, complement (趋向补语); level 3, fixed patterns; level 3, complement (趋向补语).

Example sentences

• 趴下！
  Pā xià!
  Get down!
• 放下。
  Put it down.
• 下载。
  Download.
• 留下来了
  Liúxià lái le
  It is left here.
• 鸟下蛋。
  Niǎo xiàdàn.
  Birds lay eggs.
• 下雨了。
  It is raining.

Words starting with 下

• 下午xià wǔafternoon; p.m.
• 下雨xià yǔto rain
• 下来xià laito come down; (completed action marker)…
• 下去xià qùto go down; to descend; to go on
• 下载xià zǎito download; also pr. xià zài
• 下面xià miànbelow; under; next
• 下属xià shǔsubordinate; underling
• 下车xià chēto get off or out of (a bus, train, car etc)
• 下班xià bānto finish work; to get off work; next service (train, bus etc)
• 下降xià jiàngto decline; to drop; to fall
• 下次xià cìnext time
• 下列xià lièthe following; listed below
• 下岗xià gǎng(of a guard, sentry etc) to come off duty; (of a worker) be to laid off
• 下课xià kèto finish class; to get out of class; (fig.) (esp. of a sports coach) to be dismissed
• 下楼xià lóuto go downstairs
• 下山xià shānto go down a hill; (of the sun or moon) to set
• 下巴xià bachin
• 下跌xià diēto fall; to tumble
• 下手xià shǒuto start; to put one's hand to; to set about
• 下令xià lìngto give an order; to issue an order
• 下意识xià yì shísubconscious mind
• 下场xià chǎngto leave (the stage, an exam room, the playing field etc); to take part in some activity…
• 下边xià bianunder; the underside; below
• 下半年xià bàn niánsecond half of the year

Words containing 下

• 留下liú xiàto leave behind; to stay behind; to remain
• 以下yǐ xiàthat level or lower; that amount or less; the following
• 天下tiān xiàland under heaven; the whole world; the whole of China
• 眼下yǎn xiànow; at present; (anatomy) subocular
• 不相上下bù xiāng shàng xiàequally matched; about the same
• 剩下shèng xiàto remain; to be left over
• 一下子yī xià zionce; one time; (following a verb) for a moment; briefly; for a little while; in no time…
• 之下zhī xiàunder; beneath; less than
• 放下fàng xiàto lay down; to put down; to let go of; to relinquish; to set aside…
• 地下dì xiàunderground; subterranean; covert
• 坐下zuò xiato sit down
• 上下shàng xiàthe top and bottom of sth; the full vertical extent of sth; from top to bottom…
• 如下rú xiàas follows
• 接下来jiē xià láito accept; to take; next
• 楼下lóu xiàdownstairs
• 底下dǐ xiathe location below sth; afterwards
• 脚下jiǎo xiàunder the foot
• 不下bù xiàto be not less than (a certain quantity, amount etc)
• 写下xiě xiàto write down
• 停下来tíng xià láito stop
• 停下tíng xiàto stop
• 落下luò xiàto fall; to drop; to land (of projectile)
• 这下zhè xiàthis time
• 掉下diào xiàto drop down; to fall

Characters that look like 下

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 不bùno; not so; (bound form) not; un-

Sounds the same

Read xià, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 夏summer
• 吓to frighten; to scare
• 罅crack; grudge
• 丅old variant of 下
• 夓old variant of 夏
• 厦abbr. for Xiamen or Amoy 厦门

Where 下 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Location Words (HSK 1), How Components Build Characters (HSK 0), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 1 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read xià correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.