下调

• Pinyin: xià tiáo
• Hanzi breakdown: 下 = downward; 调 = 讠+ 周 (speech + complete — a deliberate, authoritative adjustment)

Meaning

To lower; to reduce; to revise downward. Used for officially adjusting figures, rates, ratings, forecasts, or other quantifiable values in a downward direction.

Predominantly used in financial, economic, and institutional contexts. Common collocations: 下调利率 (lower interest rates), 下调预期 (revise expectations downward), 下调评级 (downgrade a rating). Formal counterpart of 上调 (to raise upward). Typically used by central banks, rating agencies, and regulatory institutions.

Examples

1. 中央银行宣布将基准利率下调二十五个基点，以应对经济增速放缓和通货紧缩压力。 The central bank announced a 25-basis-point cut to the benchmark interest rate in response to slowing growth and deflationary pressure.
2. 国际货币基金组织在最新报告中将全球经济增长预测下调至百分之二点八，为近十年来的最低水平。 In its latest report, the IMF revised its global growth forecast down to 2.8 percent, the lowest level in nearly a decade.
3. 由于大宗商品价格持续走低，多家航空公司相继下调燃油附加费，惠及长途旅客。 As commodity prices continued to fall, multiple airlines lowered fuel surcharges one after another, benefiting long-haul travelers.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, economics, policy, business

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 美联储连续按兵不动后，本次将联邦基金利率目标区间下调25个基点，市场因此转向宽松预期。(After the Fed held steady for several meetings, it lowered the federal funds rate target range by 25 basis points this time, and the market shifted toward easing expectations.)
• 国际评级机构下调该国信用评级，称赤字扩大、债务上升和改革缓慢是主因，并警告若问题不解，未来还可能再下调。(The international rating agency downgraded the country's credit rating, saying that widening deficits, rising debt, and slow reform were the main reasons, and warning that if the problems are not solved, there could be further downgrades in the future.)

Don't Say

• 下调 in casual conversation about reducing something — use 降低, 减少, or 调低; 下调 is a formal institutional term for official adjustments to rates, forecasts, or ratings, and sounds awkward applied to everyday reductions

Origin & History

下 (downward) + 调 (to adjust — 讠+ 周, speech + complete cycle — a deliberate modification through official pronouncement)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal