僿 (sài) - Crude & uncivilized

僿Tone 4

sài ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

儒三

僿 · sài

Crude;

uncivilized;

lacking refinement;

rustic;

also used in historical contexts to refer to border regions or barbarian customs.

Crudeuncivilizedlacking refinement

Usage highlights

Crude and shallowUncivilized customsRustic and wildBorder barbarismLacking refinement

Synonyms

  • 粗— coarse, rough
  • 陋— simple, crude
  • 野— wild, uncultivated

Antonyms

  • 文— cultured, refined
  • 雅— elegant, refined

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient text describes their customs as crude and uncivilized (僿陋).
  • He criticized the rustic manners of the border people (边僿之俗).
  • This style of writing is considered unrefined (文风僿野).

Collocations

  • Crude and shallow(僿陋)
  • Uncivilized customs(僿俗)
  • Rustic and wild(僿野)
  • Border barbarism(边僿)
  • Lacking refinement(不文而僿)

Idioms

  • Crude and lacking in culture(僿而不文)
  • Uncivilized and barbaric(僿蛮之风)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically used in classical Chinese texts to describe peoples or customs considered outside the sphere of Chinese civilization.
  • Reflects a Sinocentric worldview where cultural refinement was a key marker of civilization.
  • Often appears in discussions of cultural assimilation or the contrast between 'civilized' and 'barbarian'.

FAQ