等 děng — class; rank; grade; equal to; same as; wait for
请等我一下。Qǐng děng wǒ yí xià.Please wait for me a moment.
Common words: 等于 (děng yú)、等到 (děng dào)、平等 (píng děng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "grade"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "grade", including 等 (děng), 品 (pǐn), 级 (jí), 档 (dàng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "grade" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 等 (děng), 品 (pǐn), 级 (jí), 档 (dàng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span děng, pǐn, jí, dàng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 等 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 等 děngclass; rank; grade; equal to; same as; wait forUseful words: 等于, 等到
- 品 pǐnconduct; grade; thing; product; goodUseful words: 作品, 食品
- 级 jílevel; grade; rank; stepUseful words: 高级, 年级
- 档 dàngcross-piece; official records; grade (of goods); file; records; shelvesUseful words: 高档, 档案
Common words for these 4 "grade" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 等 (děng) — so "grade" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
等于děng yúto equal; to be tantamount to等到děng dàoto wait until; by the time when (sth is ready etc)平等píng děngequal; equality作品zuò pǐnwork (of art); opus食品shí pǐnfoodstuff; food; provisions商品shāng pǐncommodity; goods; merchandise高级gāo jíhigh level; high grade; advanced; high-ranking年级nián jígrade; year (in school, college etc)中级zhōng jímiddle level (in a hierarchy)高档gāo dàngsuperior quality; high grade; top grade
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "grade".
品 pǐn — conduct; grade; thing; product; good
这家商店的产品质量很好。Zhè jiā shāng diàn de chǎn pǐn zhì liàng hěn hǎo.The products of this shop are of good quality.
Common words: 作品 (zuò pǐn)、食品 (shí pǐn)、商品 (shāng pǐn)
级 jí — level; grade; rank; step
我妹妹上小学三年级。Wǒ mèi mei shàng xiǎo xué sān nián jí.My younger sister is in the third grade of primary school.
Common words: 高级 (gāo jí)、年级 (nián jí)、中级 (zhōng jí)
档 dàng — cross-piece; official records; grade (of goods); file; records; shelves
这些资料都整理好放进了档案里。Zhè xiē zī liào dōu zhěng lǐ hǎo fàng jìn le dàng àn lǐ.These materials were organized and put into the file.
Common words: 高档 (gāo dàng)、档案 (dàng àn)、搭档 (dā dàng)
All 4 characters
Open 等、品、级 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.