定级 (dìng jí) — to determine a grade or level, to rate, to classify

Definition

定级 (dìng jí) means to assign a grade or level to something — people, products, or projects. Common in business, testing, and quality-control contexts.

verb
to determine a grade or levelto rateto classify

Examples

  • 定级。
    Gōng sī měi nián dōu huì gěi yuán gōng dìng jí.
    The company grades its employees every year.
  • 。
    Zhè pī chǎn pǐn yǐ jīng dìng le jí.
    This batch of products has already been graded.
  • 定级。
    Zhuān jiā zhèng zài wèi zhè ge xiàng mù dìng jí.
    Experts are rating this project.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

定dìngdetermine
级jígrade

定 means determine and 级 means grade, so the word is to determine a grade.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng定dìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

定 is built from 宀 and 正, with 正 supplying the sound.

Open 定 →

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 →

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