梯队 (tī duì) — echelon (military or organizational level); tier, level (in a hierarchical structure, e.g. first tier, second tier)

Definition

梯队 (tīduì) refers to a tier or echelon in a hierarchy — most often used for ranked groups of people (military units, talent pipelines, management levels), not physical layers. The number marker (第一梯队, 第二梯队) signals rank within the system.

noun
echelon (military or organizational level)tierlevel (in a hierarchical structure, e.g. first tier, second tier)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 梯队。
    Jūn duì de dì yī tī duì yǐ jīng chū fā le.
    The first echelon of the army has already set out.
  • 梯队。
    Gōng sī zhèng zài péi yǎng dì èr tī duì de guǎn lǐ rén yuán.
    The company is cultivating a second echelon of management personnel.
  • 梯队。
    Rén cái tī duì jiàn shè shì xué xiào de zhòng yào rèn wu.
    Building a talent echelon is an important task for the school.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

梯tīladder
队duìteam

梯 means ladder and 队 means team or formation; together they suggest a ladder-like level or echelon.

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
木木mùwood, tree
Sound part声符shēngfú
弟
弟dì梯tī
Same sound today

梯 puts 木 (wood/tree) beside 弟, which gives the sound, to write a wooden ladder.

Open 梯 →

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 隊; 队 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㒸
㒸㒸隊duì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 隊 has 阜 as the meaning part and 㒸 as the sound part.

Open 队 →

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