verb HSK 4
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to descend · to fall · to drop · to lower · to surrender (xiáng)
Meaning
降 is a versatile character with two pronunciations. As 'jiàng', it means to descend, fall, or lower something, commonly used for temperatures, prices, and physical descent. As 'xiáng', it means to surrender or submit, though this pronunciation is less common in everyday speech.
Usage
The 'jiàng' pronunciation dominates modern usage, especially in compounds about降temperature (降温),降price (降价), or降rainfall (降雨). Native speakers use it constantly for weather reports and economic news. The 'xiáng' pronunciation appears mainly in literary contexts or specific terms like 投降 (surrender).
Examples
- 01今天气温会下降到零度以下。.Today the temperature will drop below zero degrees.
- 02超市决定降价促销。.The supermarket decided to reduce prices for promotion.
Common collocations
- 下降to descend, to go down
- 降价to reduce price
- 降温temperature drops
- 降低to reduce, to lower
Antonyms
Origin
The character combines 阝(mound/hill) on the left with a phonetic component, originally depicting something coming down from a height.