low、mean、cheap与shabby这些形容词均有“卑鄙的、卑贱的、卑下的”之意。
low : 指行为卑鄙、可耻、下文明，可引申指庸俗。
- low standards
低劣的水准 - I have a very low opinion of him.
我对他评价不高。 - She has very low self-esteem.
她有很强的自卑感。 - How low can you get?
你能堕落到什么程度？ - That was a pretty low trick to play.
那是一种很卑鄙的伎俩。
mean : 暗示狠毒、贪婪、缺乏尊严感等为人们所不耻的卑鄙、自私、渺小的行为。
- Stop being so mean to me!
别对我那么刻薄！ - She just said it to be mean.
她那么说就是为了让人不悦。
cheap : 侧旨人或物的品质低劣下贱。
- He’s so cheap he didn’t even buy me a card for my birthday.
他真小气，居然连张生日卡都没给我买。 - I wish you’d stop making cheap jokes about my friends.
希望你别再对我的朋友们开那种低级玩笑了。
shabby : 指行为的不公和卑劣而使人感到不屑和轻蔑。
- She spoke out about the shabby way the case had been handled.
她揭露了处理现金的不正当手段。 - The company’s treatment of women was shabby.
这家公司对待女性十分不公。
#词汇辨析