档 (dàng) appears as a bound morpheme in several common compounds. Its two major mainland senses are 'file, record' (e.g. 档案 dàng'àn 'archive') and 'grade, class' (e.g. 档次 dàngcì 'grade level'). In Taiwanese usage it can also mean 'gear' (as in a car transmission), which is a variant of 挡 (dǎng). The character is not a standalone word — it always attaches to another morpheme. Most learners encounter it in 档案 and 高档.