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档次 (dàng cì) — grade, class, level (of quality)

Definition

档次 is a colloquial noun for the 'grade' or 'quality class' of a product, hotel, or service. More casual than the written 等级/级别, and unlike 品位 it judges market tier rather than aesthetic taste.

noun
gradeclasslevel (of quality)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 档次，。
    Zhè jiā jiǔ diàn de dàng cì hěn gāo, fú wù yě hěn hǎo.
    This hotel is high-class, and the service is also good.
  • 。
    Tā men dǎ suàn tuī chū yí gè gèng gāo dàng cì de chǎn pǐn xì liè.
    They plan to launch a product line of a higher grade.
  • 档次，。
    Zhè ge zhǎn lǎn de dàng cì tài dī, bú shì hé wǒ men de kè hù.
    The level of this exhibition is too low; it's not suitable for our clients.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

档dàngrank
次cìorder

档 (rank) and 次 (order) together indicate a level of quality.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 檔; 档 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
當
當dāng檔dàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 檔 pairs 木, a tree, with 當 as the sound part. The simplified 档 is an abbreviation of 檔.

Open 档 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old form of 次 shows a person exhaling, with the marks above the figure representing breath.

Open 次 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Good & Bad

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