TSUMUGU · TOCFL 2 (est.) · 字
階
階 ＝ 阝 ＋ 皆
ㄐㄧㄝ · jiē
noun — a step, stair; a rank, a stage (階段, 階級)
字源 FORM — what the parts do
阝義a mound, steps cut into it (the left 阜)
Steps cut into a mound (阝) — a stair. 皆 jiē carries the sound, exactly. One step above another gives rank and stage: 階梯、階級、階段.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
土坡（阝）鑿成一級級石階，大家（皆）順著往上走。
Steps cut into the slope (阝), and everyone (皆) climbs them rung by rung.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)階梯、台階— steps, a stair常用
→階級、官階— rank, class
⇒階段— a stage, a phase常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension