低估
dī gū · HSK 7
to underestimate
📉 低 (low) + 估 (estimate) = low estimate, i.e. underestimate
The components spell it out directly: 低 means low or beneath, 估 means to estimate or appraise. Put them together and you get a too-low appraisal — to underestimate someone or something.
低 — person radical 亻 + 氐 (base)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 亻 (person) gives the meaning, while 氐 supplies the sound and originally depicted something reaching the ground or base. Together they suggest a person bowing low, which extended to the general sense of 'low' in height, position, or degree.