台阶

臺階
táijiē
noun HSK 4 #6,405

Meanings

  1. 1 steps; stairway; flight of stairs
  2. 2 way out of an embarrassing situation (figurative)

Examples

HSK 1
Gěi tā yī gè táijiē xià ba.
Give him a way out (save his face).
HSK 5
Xiǎoxīn táijiē, bié shuāidǎo le.
Watch the steps - don't fall.
HSK 7-9
Lǎorén fú zhe lángān mànmàn zǒu xià táijiē.
The old man walked down the steps slowly, holding the railing.

Tips

culture
台阶 ('give steps to walk down') is an important face-saving concept. It means providing someone with a graceful way to back down from an awkward situation without losing 面子.

Stroke Order

tái
jiē