相等
xiāng děng · HSK 5
equal
⚖️ 相 (mutual) + 等 (equal/rank) = mutually equal
相 means mutual/each-other and 等 means equal or rank/grade. Together they mean two things share the same rank or value. Related to 等于 (equal to) and 平等 (equality).
等 — bamboo radical 竹 + temple 寺
Originally referred to bamboo slips of equal length used for record-keeping, with 竹 (bamboo) as the semantic component and 寺 suggesting the phonetic. From 'equal-length slips' the meaning extended to 'rank, class,' then 'equal,' and later to 'wait' (to be of equal status in line).