阶层 jiēcéng social class
How to remember 阶层: 阶 stairs + 层 layer = social class.
Characters
How it is used
- A social stratum defined by status, income, or occupation - 中产阶层 (zhōngchǎn jiēcéng) the middle class.
- Softer and more sociological than 阶级 (jiējí), which carries Marxist class-struggle overtones.
- Pairs with 社会阶层, 精英阶层; used to describe layers of society without the political charge of 阶级.
Example sentences
- 美国是一个自称没有社会阶层的国家。 Měiguó shì yígè zìchēng méiyǒu shèhuìjiēcéng de guójiā.America likes to claim that it is a "classless" society.