About
The character 陟, which is both its traditional and standard form, is structured with the left radical 阝, representing a hill or mound, combined with the right component 步, meaning to step or walk. This composition directly illustrates its original meaning of ascending or climbing a slope. From this concrete sense of upward physical movement, its meaning was extended to denote abstract advancement, specifically promotion or progress in an official or social rank. The character’s semantic range has thus shifted from a primarily physical action to encompass this figurative and bureaucratic usage.
Etymology Hide
