世界级
shì jiè jí · HSK 7
world-class
🌍🏆 世界 (world) + 级 (level/grade) = world-level, i.e. world-class
世界 means world; 级 means level, grade or rank (same 级 as in 高级 high-grade). Stack them and you get world-grade: ranked at the top tier on a global scale.
界 — field 田 + scope 介
界 combines 田 (field) as the semantic component with 介 (jiè) as the phonetic. The original sense referred to boundaries between fields, then broadened to any border, limit, or realm — yielding modern meanings like 'world' (世界) and 'boundary' (边界).
级 — silk radical 纟 + 及 jí (phonetic)
级 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The silk radical 纟 originally referred to threads or the steps/ranks of silk cords used to mark official grades. The right side 及 (jí) supplies the sound. Over time the meaning shifted from 'cord-marked rank' to general 'level, grade, class.'