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级别 (jí bié) — rank; level; grade

Definition

A compound noun for a formal, classified rank or grade (job level, security clearance). It is more official and bounded than 级, and more formal than 档次.

noun
ranklevelgrade
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 级别。
    Tā zài gōng sī lǐ shēng dào le gèng gāo de jí bié.
    He was promoted to a higher rank in the company.
  • 级别。
    Zhè ge yǔ yán kè chéng de jí bié bǐ jiào dī.
    The level of this language course is relatively low.
  • 级别。
    Liǎng jiā gōng sī de jí bié wán quán bù tóng.
    The two companies' grades are completely different.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

级jígrade
别biécategory

级 and 别 both point to rank or category, so together they mean a level of standing.

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 級; 级 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí級jí
Same sound today

The traditional form 級 has 糹 (thread) and 及 as a sound part; its original sense was a sequence related to silk. The simplified 级 is a later shorthand.

Open 级 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 別; 别 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 別 pairs 冎 (bone) with 刀 (knife), showing a knife cutting up bone and flesh. The simplified 别 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 别 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

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