TSUMUGU · TOCFL 2 (est.) · 字
級
級 ＝ 糸 ＋ 及
ㄐㄧˊ · jí
noun — grade, rank; a step
字源 FORM — what the parts do
糸義silk thread
Silk (糸) sorted into grades — finest at the top, coarse below. 及 jí carries the sound exactly. From graded silk to graded everything: 年級、階級、高級, and the stone steps (石級) that climb grade by grade.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
絲（糸）一把一把分開排好——最亮的那把放最上面。
Silk (糸) parted handful by handful and laid in rows — the brightest set on top.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)絲的等第— the grades of silk
→等級、年級— rank, grade常用
⇒石級— steps — grades cut in stone
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension