Origin

This character appears to picture a person in a bent or crouched posture. The lower part suggests someone bowing down or lowering themselves, which naturally came to represent the idea of being low, base, or vulgar. Over time, the visual image of physical lowering expanded to mean moral or social lowering — treating someone or something as inferior or despicable. The shape captures the physical gesture associated with shame or degradation.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.