下边
xià bian · HSK 1
below
⬇️ 下 = down/below + 边 = side; literally 'down-side'
A two-character compound: 下 (xià) means down or below, and 边 (biān) means side or edge. Together 下边 names the underside or the area beneath something. Compare 上边 (shàngbian, top side) for the mirror form.
下 — horizontal line 一 + mark below
下 is an indicative character: a long horizontal line represents a reference level, and a shorter stroke placed beneath it points to the area below. The original meaning 'below, down' comes directly from this spatial diagram, and it later extended to verbs like 'descend' and 'lower'.
边 — 辶 (walk) + 臱 (phonetic)
边 is the simplified form of 邊. It combines the walking radical 辶 with the phonetic component 臱, suggesting a place reached by walking — the edge or border of a territory. The meaning extended from 'frontier' to 'side' or 'edge' in general.