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臺階

简台阶 · 繁臺階

Mandarin · pinyin tái jiē

steps
flight of steps
step (over obstacle)
fig. way out of an embarrassing situation
bench (geology)

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Characters in this entry

臺: Look up this written character
階: Look up this written character
台: tái · platform; unit; term of address
阶: jiē · stairs, steps; rank, degree

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–1 · tai2 jie1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

臺階 · find source passages ↗ · 台阶 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

toi4 gaai1

Cantonese word readings for 臺階. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

step (on a flight of stairs) (Classifier: 級／级 m; 階／阶 m)
(figurative) level (Classifier: 個／个)
(figurative) way out of an awkward situation (Classifier: 個／个 m; 級／级 m)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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