Definition
贵贱 is a compound word whose two characters carry opposite meanings: 贵 'expensive/noble' and 贱 'cheap/humble'. It can refer literally to price ranges ('both expensive and cheap items') or figuratively to social rank ('the noble and the humble'). In colloquial northern Mandarin (topolectal usage), it can also function as an adverb meaning 'in any case' or 'no matter what', similar to 无论如何 or 反正 — but this usage is regional and not standard for all learners.
n.
the expensive and the cheapitems of all price levelsthe noble and the humblepeople of all social ranks(regional, northern) in any caseanywayno matter what
Examples
- 贵贱,。Shāngchǎng lǐ de shāngpǐn guì jiàn dōu yǒu, kàn nǐ xuǎn nǎ zhǒng.The mall has goods both expensive and cheap — it depends which you choose.
- ,贵贱。Gǔrén rènwéi hūnyīn yào jiǎngjiū méndānghùduì, bùlùn guì jiàn.Ancient people believed marriage should match family status, regardless of high or low rank.
- 贵贱,。Zhè shì guì jiàn děi nǐ qù zuò, biérén zuò bù liǎo.This matter has to be handled by you no matter what — no one else can do it.
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