下
down; under; below; next
xià
What does 下 mean?
下 (xià) is a busy little character with three families of meaning. (1) Direction: 'down / below / under' — 下面 (below), 桌子下 (under the table), 下班 (get off work, literally 'descend from work'). (2) Time / sequence: 'next' — 下次 (next time), 下个月 (next month), 下星期 (next week). (3) Verb sense: 'to go down / fall / descend / give off' — 下雨 (to rain, lit.
'rain comes down'), 下车 (get off the vehicle), 下楼 (go downstairs). 下 also serves as a measure word for actions or counts ('one more time'): 等一下
Character breakdown
down; below; next. A horizontal line with a mark below it — literally pointing 'below the line.'
Memory hook: Line with a dot below = something underneath. 上 has the dot above, 下 has it below.
Example sentences
今天下雨。
Jīntiān xià yǔ.
It's raining today.
spoken
请等一下。
Qǐng děng yíxià.
Please wait a moment.
polite
下个星期我去北京。
Xià ge xīngqī wǒ qù Běijīng.
I'm going to Beijing next week.
neutral
猫在桌子下面。
Māo zài zhuōzi xiàmiàn.
The cat is under the table.
spoken
Common phrases with 下
Synonyms
下面 is the full locational noun ('the area below / underneath'). 下 alone usually attaches to other words (下个月) or pairs with another noun (桌子下). For 'below' as a standalone location, use 下面.
Don't confuse 下 with
FAQ
Acquire by listening
Hear 下 in real Chinese, not in a flashcard.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this word shows up again and again in real sentences. Pinyin, translation, and the episode where you heard it — every time. Free to start, no card.