How to Write 鄙 (bǐ) — Meaning “lowly or despicable”

Picture a city (阝) where people use their mouths (口) to spit out rice (米) because they think it is lowly. This strange scene helps you connect the parts to the meaning of despicable or contemptible.

Write the left radical 阝 first with two strokes (horizontal bend then vertical), making it narrow. Then write the right side: 口 on top and 米 below. Common mistakes include making the 阝 too wide or misplacing the 米 strokes; keep the whole character balanced and compact.

Unlike 鄙 (meaning lowly), 郾 and 鄂 are ancient place names and are rarely used today. Visually, 郾 has the component 匽 (with 日 and 女), while 鄂 has 咢 (口 plus 亏). In contrast, 鄙 contains 口 above 米 on the right side.

You will see 鄙 in words like 鄙视 (to look down on) and 卑鄙 (despicable). The self-reference 鄙人 (meaning "I") is an old-fashioned, humble way to speak about oneself, but it is rarely used in daily conversation today.

Common words containing 鄙 include: 鄙视 (bǐ shì) — to look down upon; 卑鄙 (bēi bǐ) — despicable; mean; contemptible; 鄙人 (bǐ rén) — I (a humble way to refer to oneself).