Chinese word

阶梯

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiē tī

Meaning

  • nounstairs

Example

我们坐在阶梯上聊天。wǒ men zuò zài jiē tī shàng liáo tiān

We sit on the stairs and chat.

Illustration for 阶梯 (stairs)

More examples

政府对居民实行阶梯电价，超出基准量部分单价更高。zhèng fǔ duì jū mín shí xíng jiē tī diàn jià chāo chū jī zhǔn liàng bù fèn dān jià gèng gāo

The government charges residents tiered electricity rates, with a higher unit price for usage above the baseline.

Core concept

A rising sequence of level surfaces joined into one structure for moving upward, downward, or sitting at different heights.

Common phrases

  • 阶梯价格jiē tī jià gé

    tiered pricing

  • 阶梯电价jiē tī diàn jià

    tiered electricity pricing

  • 阶梯教室jiē tī jiào shì

    tiered classroom

Similar words

楼梯lóu tī: A set of indoor steps that connects different floors of a building.
台阶tái jiē: Steps outside a building entrance, usually made from stone or concrete.
梯子tī zi: A movable frame with horizontal rungs used to climb up or down.

Definition in Chinese

由一系列水平踏步或平台组成，供人上下通行或就座的台阶结构。yóu yí xì liè shuǐ píng tà bù huò píng tái zǔ chéng gōng rén shàng xià tōng xíng huò jiù zuò de tái jiē jié gòu

Word origin

The compound 阶 (jiē, "step or level") + 梯 (tī, "ladder") combines levels with a structure for climbing, giving the sense of a stepped passage.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word often sounds descriptive or formal, so it is especially useful in architectural descriptions and discussions of designed public spaces.

Other meanings

  • stepnoun

Opposites

  • 平地píng dìflat groundnoun

Related words

  • 阶梯式jiē tī shìtieredadjective
  • 阶梯制jiē tī zhìtiered systemnoun

Word lists with this word