Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ====== xiàdiē: 下跌 - To Fall, Decline, Drop ====== ===== Quick Summary ===== * **Keywords:** xiadie, xiàdiē, 下跌, Chinese for fall, Chinese for decline, stock market fall Chinese, price drop Chinese, what does xiadie mean, how to say decline in Chinese, economic terms in Chinese * **Summary:** Learn the essential Chinese verb **下跌 (xiàdiē)**, meaning to fall, decline, or drop. This page breaks down its meaning, focusing on its common use in economics, finance, and news reports to describe falling stock prices, housing values, and other statistics. Understand the difference between **下跌** and physically falling down, and explore its cultural significance in modern China. ===== Core Meaning ===== * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** xiàdiē * **Part of Speech:** Verb * **HSK Level:** HSK 5 * **Concise Definition:** To fall or decline, typically in reference to prices, values, numbers, or levels. * **In a Nutshell:** Think of **下跌 (xiàdiē)** as the word you see in a news headline about the stock market. It's not for a person tripping on the sidewalk (that's [[摔倒]] - shuāidǎo). Instead, it describes a more abstract, often numerical, "fall" or "drop"—like prices, temperatures, or a company's popularity. It carries a neutral to slightly negative, formal tone, perfect for reports and objective descriptions. ===== Character Breakdown ===== * **下 (xià):** This character means "down," "below," or "under." Pictorially, it can be seen as a horizontal line representing the ground with a smaller line below it. * **跌 (diē):** This character means "to fall" or "to stumble." It's composed of the "foot" radical (足) on the left and "to lose" (失) on the right. Together, they create the image of "losing one's footing" and falling over. * **Combined Meaning:** Putting "down" (下) and "to fall/stumble" (跌) together creates a vivid verb that means "to fall down" in an abstract sense. It strongly implies a downward movement or a decline in value or status. ===== Cultural Context and Significance ===== * While not a term rooted in ancient philosophy, **下跌** holds significant weight in modern Chinese culture due to the nation's intense focus on economic development. The stock market (股市 - gǔshì) is a national preoccupation, and the phrase **股市下跌 (gǔshì xiàdiē)**, "the stock market is falling," is a source of collective anxiety for millions of retail investors. * Unlike in some Western cultures where stock investing might be a more niche topic, in China, market performance is common water-cooler talk. A period of **下跌** can affect the national mood. * This term is also used to discuss other major societal trends and concerns, such as a **下跌** in the birth rate (出生率 - chūshēnglǜ) or a **下跌** in consumer confidence (消费信心 - xiāofèi xìnxīn). Its frequent appearance in state media makes it a barometer for the nation's economic and social health. ===== Practical Usage in Modern China ===== * **下跌** is most commonly used in formal or semi-formal contexts, especially in written form like news articles, financial reports, and academic papers. ==== Finance and Economics ==== * This is the primary domain for **下跌**. It's the standard term for any decrease in financial metrics. * //Usage:// Describing stocks, bonds, housing prices, currency exchange rates, company profits, etc. * //Example:// 财经新闻每天都报道哪个股票**下跌**了。(Cáijīng xīnwén měitiān dōu bàodào nǎge gǔpiào **xiàdiē** le.) - "Financial news reports every day on which stocks have fallen." ==== General Statistics and Data ==== * Beyond finance, **下跌** is used for any measurable quantity that is decreasing. * //Usage:// Describing temperatures, water levels, approval ratings, poll numbers, infection rates, etc. * //Example:// 由于持续干旱，水库的水位严重**下跌**。(Yóuyú chíxù gānhàn, shuǐkù de shuǐwèi yánzhòng **xiàdiē**.) - "Due to the continuous drought, the reservoir's water level has seriously dropped." ===== Example Sentences ===== * **Example 1:** * 今天股市**下跌**了百分之二。 * Pinyin: Jīntiān gǔshì **xiàdiē** le bǎifēnzhī èr. * English: The stock market fell by two percent today. * Analysis: A classic and straightforward example of using **下跌** in a financial context with a specific quantity. * **Example 2:** * 由于竞争激烈，我们公司的利润有所**下跌**。 * Pinyin: Yóuyú jìngzhēng jīliè, wǒmen gōngsī de lìrùn yǒusuǒ **xiàdiē**. * English: Due to fierce competition, our company's profits have somewhat declined. * Analysis: The phrase 有所 (yǒusuǒ) softens the verb, indicating "somewhat" or "to some extent." This is common in formal reports. * **Example 3:** * 最近天气变冷，气温**下跌**到零度以下。 * Pinyin: Zuìjìn tiānqì biàn lěng, qìwēn **xiàdiē** dào líng dù yǐxià. * English: The weather has turned cold recently, with temperatures dropping to below zero. * Analysis: This shows **下跌** used for a non-economic, scientific measurement (temperature). * **Example 4:** * 专家预测，明年房价会继续**下跌**。 * Pinyin: Zhuānjiā yùcè, míngnián fángjià huì jìxù **xiàdiē**. * English: Experts predict that housing prices will continue to fall next year. * Analysis: Demonstrates how **下跌** is used to talk about future trends and predictions. * **Example 5:** * 这位明星的人气在丑闻后急剧**下跌**。 * Pinyin: Zhè wèi míngxīng de rénqì zài chǒuwén hòu jíjù **xiàdiē**. * English: This celebrity's popularity plummeted after the scandal. * Analysis: Here, **下跌** describes an intangible concept (popularity). The adverb 急剧 (jíjù) means "sharply" or "rapidly," adding emphasis. * **Example 6:** * 经济衰退导致汽车销量大幅**下跌**。 * Pinyin: Jīngjì shuāituì dǎozhì qìchē xiāoliàng dàfú **xiàdiē**. * English: The economic recession led to a sharp decline in car sales. * Analysis: 大幅 (dàfú) means "by a large margin" and is frequently paired with **下跌** to describe a significant drop. * **Example 7:** * 难道你没看到美元对人民币的汇率**下跌**了吗？ * Pinyin: Nándào nǐ méi kàndào Měiyuán duì Rénmínbì de huìlǜ **xiàdiē** le ma? * English: Didn't you see that the exchange rate of the US dollar to the RMB has fallen? * Analysis: An example of **下跌** used in a question, here concerning currency exchange rates. * **Example 8:** * 新政策实施后，犯罪率明显**下跌**。 * Pinyin: Xīn zhèngcè shíshī hòu, fànzuìlǜ míngxiǎn **xiàdiē**. * English: After the new policy was implemented, the crime rate dropped significantly. * Analysis: Shows a positive outcome described with **下跌**. The context (a falling crime rate) is good, even though the verb itself describes a decrease. * **Example 9:** * 与去年同期相比，今年的出口额**下跌**了近一成。 * Pinyin: Yǔ qùnián tóngqī xiāng bǐ, jīnnián de chūkǒu'é **xiàdiē** le jìn yī chéng. * English: Compared to the same period last year, this year's export volume has fallen by nearly 10 percent. * Analysis: "一成 (yī chéng)" is a common Chinese way to say "10%." This sentence is typical of economic reporting. * **Example 10:** * 如果产品质量持续**下跌**，我们将失去所有客户。 * Pinyin: Rúguǒ chǎnpǐn zhìliàng chíxù **xiàdiē**, wǒmen jiāng shīqù suǒyǒu kèhù. * English: If the product quality continues to decline, we will lose all our customers. * Analysis: This example applies **下跌** to the abstract concept of "quality" (质量). ===== Nuances and Common Mistakes ===== * **Mistake 1: Physical Falling** * A very common mistake for learners is to use **下跌** for a person or object physically falling over. **下跌** is almost exclusively for abstract numbers, values, and levels. * **Incorrect:** 他从楼梯上**下跌**了。(Tā cóng lóutī shàng **xiàdiē** le.) * **Correct:** 他从楼梯上**摔倒**了。(Tā cóng lóutī shàng **shuāidǎo** le.) - "He fell down the stairs." * **下跌 (xiàdiē) vs. 下降 (xiàjiàng)** * These two verbs are very close and often interchangeable, but there's a slight difference in connotation. * **下跌 (xiàdiē):** Often implies a more dramatic, sudden, or significant drop. The character 跌 (diē) means "to stumble," so it can feel like a "tumble" or "plunge." It's heavily favored in financial contexts. * **下降 (xiàjiàng):** A more general, neutral term for "to decrease" or "to descend." It's a bit more stable and less dramatic than **下跌**. You can use it for a plane descending, for example, where **下跌** would sound like it's crashing. * //Example//: 飞机开始**下降**了 (Fēijī kāishǐ **xiàjiàng** le - The plane began its descent) is normal. 飞机开始**下跌**了 (Fēijī kāishǐ **xiàdiē** le) sounds alarming, like it's falling out of the sky. * **Not for Dynasties or Empires** * In English, we say "The Roman Empire fell." You would not use **下跌** for this. **下跌** is for quantifiable metrics. For the decline or collapse of a dynasty, you would use words like [[衰落]] (shuāiluò - to decline/weaken) or [[灭亡]] (mièwáng - to perish/be destroyed). ===== Related Terms and Concepts ===== * [[上涨]] (shàngzhǎng) - The direct antonym of **下跌**; means "to rise" or "to go up," especially for prices and figures. * [[下降]] (xiàjiàng) - A close synonym meaning "to decrease" or "to descend," but often more general and less dramatic than **下跌**. * [[暴跌]] (bàodiē) - A more extreme version of **下跌**; means "to plummet" or "to crash" (e.g., a stock market crash). * [[降低]] (jiàngdī) - To lower, reduce. This verb often implies an agent is actively causing the reduction (e.g., "The bank lowered interest rates"). **下跌** is often a passive observation of a fall. * [[减少]] (jiǎnshǎo) - To decrease, reduce in number or quantity. Focuses more on amount than on level or value. * [[衰退]] (shuāituì) - Recession, decline. A broader term used for economic downturns or a decline in power/influence. * [[摔倒]] (shuāidǎo) - To fall down, to stumble and fall. Used for people and physical objects, not for numbers or values. * [[股市]] (gǔshì) - Stock market. The most common context where you will encounter the word **下跌**. * [[价格]] (jiàgé) - Price. The thing that most often does the action of **下跌**.