Definition
阶梯 (jiē tī) can mean a literal 'flight of steps', but at this level it's most often used figuratively as a 'stepping stone' or 'ladder to success' (e.g., 事业的阶梯). Unlike 楼梯 (everyday stairs in a building) or 台阶 (outdoor steps or a face-saving exit), 阶梯 is more formal and literary for literal stairs and is the only sibling used for the abstract sense of a means to advance.
noun
flight of stepsstaircase(figurative) stepping stoneladder to success
Easily confused
- 接替jiē tìsound-aliketo replace, to take over (a position or post)
- 解体jiě tǐsound-alike(of organizations, systems) to disintegrate, to break up
Examples
- 阶梯，。Yánzhe jiē tī wǎng shàng zǒu, jiù néng kàndào túshūguǎn.Walk up the steps and you'll see the library.
- 阶梯。Zhè cì shíxí shì tā shìyè de zhòngyào jiē tī.This internship is an important stepping stone in his career.
- 阶梯。Zhīshi shì tōngwǎng chénggōng de jiē tī.Knowledge is the ladder to success.
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