阶级 jiējí class
(social) class
How to remember 阶级: 阶 stairs + 级 grade = class.
Characters
How it is used
- Social class in the Marxist / political sense - 工人阶级 (gōngrén jiējí) the working class; 阶级斗争 class struggle.
- Carries strong ideological and historical weight (revolution, exploitation) that the neutral 阶层 lacks.
- Use 阶层 for everyday sociological talk (middle class as an income band); reserve 阶级 for the loaded political concept.