高层

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese word 高层 (gāo céng) literally means "high level" or "upper level". It is composed of two characters: 高 (gāo), meaning "high", and 层 (céng), meaning "level" or "layer". The word 高层 is often used to refer to the upper echelons of an organization or society, such as the senior management of a company or the government officials of a country. It can also be used to refer to the upper floors of a building or the higher levels of a hierarchy.The character 高 (gāo) has a long history in Chinese, dating back to the oracle bone script of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). The original form of the character was a pictograph of a person standing on a high platform. Over time, the character evolved into its current form, which is a combination of the radical for "mountain" (山) and the radical for "person" (人).The character 层 (céng) also has a long history in Chinese, dating back to the Warring States period (475-221 BC). The original form of the character was a pictograph of a stack of objects. Over time, the character evolved into its current form, which is a combination of the radical for "earth" (土) and the radical for "two" (二).The word 高层 (gāo céng) is a relatively new word in Chinese, dating back to the early 20th century. It was first used to refer to the upper floors of a building, but it soon came to be used more broadly to refer to the upper echelons of an organization or society.