卑

Compound character:

田 (밭 전) — field, symbolizing the ground or earth

又 (또 우) — hand, gesture of pressing down

Together they depict “something pressed down to the ground,” hence “low, humble, base.”

Some scholars also note resemblance to the 반가사유상 (half-seated contemplative pose), with the crossed legs forming part of the original pictograph.

卑賤 (비천) — lowly, humble, mean

卑微 (비미) — insignificant, humble

卑俗 (비속) — vulgar, coarse

卑怯 (비겁) — cowardly

自卑 (자비) — self-abasement, inferiority

Contrast with 尊 (높을 존), “high, noble.”

Sometimes used in a humble form of self-reference in Classical Chinese, e.g. 卑職 (“this humble official”).

俾, 啤, 埤, 婢, 崥, 捭, 渒, 猈, 陴, 椑, 焷, 牌, 琕, 禆, 脾, 㽡, 睥, 碑, 稗, 䇑, 裨, 㗗, 粺, 綼, 聛, 蜱, 䚜, 諀, 豍, 貏, 䠋, 䡟 (𬨌), 錍, 鞞, 髀, 䱝, 䴽 (𫜔), 朇

䰦, 𠜱, 郫, 㪏, 㼰, 䫌, 鵯 (鹎), 萆, 箄, 鼙, 顰 (颦), 庳, 痺, 𠥉