贱
jiàn · HSK 7
inexpensive
💰 贝 shell-money radical + 戋 small/few = low in value, hence cheap or lowly
The 贝 (cowrie shell, old money) radical sits left of 戋, which carries the jiàn-ish sound and a sense of small or scant. Money plus scant lands on low worth: both inexpensive prices and a lowly station.
贱 — 贝 shell/money + 戋 small/few
A semantic-phonetic compound: 贝 (shell, money) gives the meaning and 戋 (small, scant) gives the sound and hints at the sense. Originally meaning 'cheap' or 'low-priced,' it later extended to 'lowly, base,' and became a self-deprecating or insulting term.