Meaning of 低于
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to be lower than
How to use 低于
低于 is used in fairly formal or written Chinese to compare numbers, levels, or standards, and the thing being compared comes right after it. Example: 今天的气温低于零度。 (Jīntiān de qìwēn dīyú líng dù.) Today's temperature is below zero degrees.
低 (dī) means low, and 于 (yú) works like "than" or "at" here. Put them together and 低于 reads as "low than," which is "lower than."
Common mistake: Learners often write 比……低 and 低于 together, as in 比零度低于, which doubles the comparison. Use either 比零度低 or 低于零度, not both.
低于 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
低 dī · low · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
于 yú · to go · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 低于.
| 等于 | děngyú | to equal; to be tantamount to |
| 终于 | zhōngyú | at last; in the end |
| 属于 | shǔyú | to belong to; to fall under (a category) |
| 由于 | yóuyú | due to; as a result of |
| 关于 | guānyú | pertaining to; concerning |
| 对于 | duìyú | regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to |
| 于是 | yúshì | thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence |
| 处于 | chǔyú | to be in (some state, position, or condition) |
| 在于 | zàiyú | to rest with; to lie in; to be due to (a certain attribute); (of a matter) to be determine |
| 位于 | wèiyú | to be located at; to be situated at |
| 降低 | jiàngdī | to reduce; to lower; to bring down |
| 善于 | shànyú | to be good at; to be adept at |
Questions about 低于
What does 低于 mean?
低于 (dīyú) means "to be lower than".
How do you write 低于?
低于 is made of 2 characters: 低 (7 strokes), 于 (3 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 低于 an HSK word?
Yes. 低于 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 低于 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 低于 is written 低於.
What is the opposite of 低于?
The opposite is 高于 (gāoyú), meaning higher than. For example, 收入高于平均水平 (shōurù gāoyú píngjūn shuǐpíng) means income is above average.
Is 低于 the same as 比……低?
They mean the same thing, but 低于 sounds more formal and is common in news, reports, and statistics. In everyday speech, people more often say 比……低, like 他比我低 (tā bǐ wǒ dī).