等
děng · HSK 1
and so on
⏳ 等 = bamboo 竹 + temple 寺; bamboo tallies sorted at the temple = rank, wait, etc.
Originally meant sorting bamboo slips into equal ranks at a temple office, hence senses of grade, equal, wait one's turn, and the list-extender 'and so on'. The 寺 part also lends the sound děng.
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).
děng · HSK 2
to wait
⏳ 等 = bamboo 竹 + temple 寺; bureaucrats sorted bamboo slips, others waited
In old offices, officials ranked 寺 bamboo 竹 documents into equal classes — so 等 means both rank/class and to wait one's turn. Sounds like deng, the dull thud of a stamp on the next slip in line.
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).