grade, steps, stairs
段 centers on a series of levels or divisions: steps in a staircase, grades in a ranking, or stages in a process.
段 is thought to combine 殳 (a hand holding a tool) with a left side that may represent a cliff or steps, suggesting a stepped or graded structure. The exact historical development is uncertain.
The left side looks like a staircase with two steps, and the right side 殳 is a hand with a tool. Imagine a worker using a tool to carve steps into a hillside, creating grades or stairs.
For ダン, picture a set of stairs leading up to a stage where a dance performance is about to begin: dance -> ダン, and the stairs are the graded steps.
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usual; normal; everyday; habitual; ordinary
price; cost
stage; step; phase
means; way; measure
step; stair; rung; (flight of) steps
stairs; stairway; staircase
gradually; by degrees; little by little; more and more; increasingly
(corrugated) cardboard
dramatic (improvement); remarkable (difference); marked; noticeable
difference in grades (e.g. in go, shoji, etc.)
lower tier; lower step; lower column; lower berth; bottom shelf
upper tier; upper section; upper deck; upper row; upper step; upper grade; upper berth; top shelf
programme; program; plans; arrangements
paragraph
even more; still more; much more; further
reaching a stopping place; settling down (before the next stage); getting to a point where one can rest; completing the first stage (of the work)
dan rank (in martial arts, go, etc.); advanced rank; grade of black belt
exceptional; unusual; special
wildly different (in ability, strength, etc.); on another level; in a different league; a world apart; far better
half-way up a slope or stairway; landing