lower social classes; inferior occupations
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
people of low social status in old times; those engaged in so-called inferior occupations
archaicRefers to the traditional Chinese social classification where certain occupations like performers, porters, and funeral musicians were considered the lowest class. Derived from the traditional ranking system of '九流' (nine streams), with '下九流' representing the bottom tier. Often carries a derogatory connotation when used to describe someone.
In the old society, actors and funeral musicians were all regarded as members of the lowest social class and faced social discrimination.
Although he came from the lowest social class, he changed his fate through hard work and became a respected artist.
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This kind of occupational discrimination divides people into different ranks, viewing manual laborers as the lowest class, which is unreasonable.