亚 yà — Asia; Asian; second; next to; inferior
中国是亚洲最大的国家之一。Zhōng guó shì Yà zhōu zuì dà de guó jiā zhī yī.China is one of the largest countries in Asia.
Common words: 亚军 (yà jūn)、不亚于 (bù yà yú)、不亚 (bù yà)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "inferior"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "inferior", including 亚 (yà), 弱 (ruò), 劣 (liè), 卑 (bēi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "inferior" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 亚 (yà), 弱 (ruò), 劣 (liè), 卑 (bēi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yà, ruò, liè, bēi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 亚 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 亚 yàAsia; Asian; second; next to; inferiorUseful words: 亚军, 不亚于
- 弱 ruòweak; feeble; young; inferiorUseful words: 薄弱, 脆弱
- 劣 lièinferiorUseful words: 恶劣, 优胜劣汰
- 卑 bēilow; base; vulgar; inferior; humbleUseful words: 卑鄙, 自卑
Common words for these 4 "inferior" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 亚 (yà) — so "inferior" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
亚军yà jūnsecond place (in a sports contest); runner-up不亚于bù yà yúno less than; not inferior to不亚bù yàno less than; not inferior to薄弱bó ruòweak; frail脆弱cuì ruòweak; frail弱点ruò diǎnweak point; failing恶劣è lièvile; nasty; of very poor quality优胜劣汰yōu shèng liè tàisurvival of the fittest (idiom)劣势liè shìinferior; disadvantaged卑鄙bēi bǐbase; mean; contemptible; despicable
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "inferior".
弱 ruò — weak; feeble; young; inferior
他生病以后身体变得很虚弱。Tā shēng bìng yǐ hòu shēn tǐ biàn de hěn xū ruò.After getting sick, he became very weak.
Common words: 薄弱 (bó ruò)、脆弱 (cuì ruò)、弱点 (ruò diǎn)
劣 liè — inferior
在恶劣的天气里，他们仍然坚持训练。Zài è liè de tiān qì lǐ, tā men réng rán jiān chí xùn liàn.In bad weather, they still kept training.
Common words: 恶劣 (è liè)、优胜劣汰 (yōu shèng liè tài)、劣势 (liè shì)
卑 bēi — low; base; vulgar; inferior; humble
我们不应该看不起那些职位卑微的人。Wǒ men bù yīng gāi kàn bu qǐ nà xiē zhí wèi bēi wēi de rén.We should not look down on those in humble positions.
Common words: 卑鄙 (bēi bǐ)、自卑 (zì bēi)、卑下 (bēi xià)
All 4 characters
Open 亚、弱、劣 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.