阶 (jiē) — (bound form, in 台阶) steps, stairs; (bound form, in 阶层/阶级) rank, social class, level
Definition
Almost never used alone: 阶 is a bound morpheme meaning 'step' in 台阶 (stairs) and 'rank/level' in 阶层 or 阶级 (social class).
bound form
(bound form, in 台阶) stepsstairs(bound form, in 阶层/阶级) ranksocial classlevel
Examples
- 。Wǒ zǒu shàng sān céng tái jiē jiù kàn jiàn le dà mén.I walked up three steps of stairs and saw the main gate.
- 。Bù tóng shè huì jiē céng de rén men shēng huó fāng shì bù tóng.People from different social classes have different lifestyles.
- 。Bù tóng jiē céng de rén yǒu bù tóng de fán nǎo.People from different social classes have different worries.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 階; 阶 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
The traditional form 階 uses 阝 (written in full as 阜) to relate to its meaning and 皆 to show its sound; the simplified 阶 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the old sound part.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.