下坠

• Pinyin: xià zhuì
• Hanzi breakdown: 下 = downward; 坠 = 队 + 土 (a falling formation + earth — something that drops to the ground)

Meaning

To fall; to plummet; to drop downward. Describes the rapid downward movement of a person, object, or abstract value under the force of gravity or a powerful negative driving force.

Used literally for physical falling — objects, aircraft, market prices, or physiological sensations of freefall. Also used metaphorically for psychological descent (情绪下坠 = emotional downward spiral) or the decline of values, standards, or morale. More literary and formal than 掉落 or 落下, and typically implies uncontrolled or significant downward movement.

Examples

1. 跳伞运动员在离开机舱后的头几秒内感受到强烈的自由下坠感，随后打开降落伞平稳滑翔。 In the first few seconds after leaving the plane, the skydiver felt an intense sensation of free fall, then opened the parachute and glided smoothly.
2. 股市在经济数据出乎意料地疲弱之后持续下坠，主要指数在三个交易日内累计跌幅超过百分之八。 After economic data came in unexpectedly weak, the stock market kept sliding, with the major indexes down more than 8% in total over three trading days.
3. 这部小说的主人公在失去家庭和事业之后陷入了难以遏制的心理下坠，用文字记录着一个人精神崩解的全过程。 After losing both family and career, the novel’s protagonist spirals into an uncontrollable psychological free fall, recording in words the full process of a person’s mental collapse.

Usage Guide

Context: physics, finance, literature, psychology

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 飞机失去动力后急速下坠，机组多次重启发动机仍失败。(After losing power, the plane plunged rapidly, and the crew failed repeatedly to restart the engines.)
• 危机中资产价格同步下坠，让分散化策略几乎失效。(During the crisis, asset prices fell together, making diversification strategies nearly useless.)

Don't Say

• 下坠 casually for objects simply falling or dropping — 掉落 or 落下 are more natural in everyday speech; 下坠 emphasises rapid, uncontrolled, or significant downward movement and is more appropriate for dramatic, literary, or analytical contexts

Origin & History

下 (downward) + 坠 (to fall, to drop — 队 + 土, a falling formation + earth — something that drops to the ground)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal