段 steps, stair; rank, grade, tier, segment, phase, stage of progress; column (in a worksheet or table); paragraph ー,斗,丨,一,ー,殳,

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MingLiU:

Mincho:

Gothic:

段

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On-yomi [ Toggle rōmaji ]

ダン　･　タン
DA　N　･　TA　N

Glyph elements [ Toggle Font ]

ー

× HTML entity: ー repeated, bobbing

　REPEATED BOBBING
　

斗

ト,トウ,× not unified internally; in need of balancing; inharmonious positions, to fight, struggle with adversaries; bone mashing, disconnected bone fragments

　CONGEAL, DRIPPING and REPEATEDLY with VERTICAL MOTION, ROD
…or: TWO with TOP-TO-BOTTOM and NO-LONGER-INTEGRATED HORIZONTAL or REPEATEDLY
　

丨

コン,シ,ジョ,ニョ,すす,しりぞ vertical, reciprocating motion vertically, rod stalk or stem while vertical

　TOP TO BOTTOM, BOTTOM TO TOP, UP-DOWN
　

一

イチ,イツ,ひと～ horizontal, array of items, reciprocating lateral motion, indicates width or extent, one segment, rod stalk or stem

　SIDE TO SIDE, BACK AND FORTH
　

ー

× HTML entity: ー repeated, bobbing

　REPEATED BOBBING
　

殳

シュ,また,ほこ stretched skin of crotch, the tools of one's trade, weapon readied, spear-like shape, stiff wooden rod

　STIFF SKIN of CROTCH
…or: SKIN SHEATH with CROTCH, YIELD AGAIN AND AGAIN
　

Meanings of elements

REPEATED BATTLING with STRETCHED CROTCH SKIN
…or: REPEATEDLY HEAD BOBBING of ROD CHANGING STATE REPEATEDLY with TAUT SKIN and CROTCH

「Repeated head bobbing on rod one time and time again repeatedly, with stretched crotch skin」suggesting the steps up the trail of stretched crotch skin, advancing from one level of service provider to the next, and the next, and so on, that describes a STAGE OF PROGRESS of the climb, TIER, STEP up to a higher and higher GRADE, RANK (and billable timeslice for those matters), a「battle for the woody rod」that occurs within harems and love shrines among jealous peers in a group.
「Repeated battles among internal divisions of stretched crotch skin」describes jealous concubines in a harem figuratively stabbing one another in the back (or, elsewhere) to get top ranking for themselves, not so unlike working for a service-providing enterprise anywhere today with numerous employees. If so, then a reversed 斗 glyph was used to form part of the left element.
Given external source meanings suggest 'how long are your [foot-binding] cloths?' and 'length of service time' with 'textual explanations or descriptions' at each stage as a written record of the reviewer's comments, similar to an employee evaluation on a regular basis (see 叙), euphemistic references to concubine and service provider seniority, rank, and pecking order as in the order of being 'peckered' [sic] by the lord, literally.
Alternatively, some suggest perhaps the set of steps of a trail up and down a terraced slope covered with irrigated paddies, and if so, the right element「stretched skin of crotch」depicts the motions and action of stepping up extending one's leg and stretching the skin of one's crotch in order to do so. Each new step is a STAGE OF PROGRESS of the climb, TIER, STEP up to a higher and higher GRADE, RANK, and so on. Or, depicts the process of constructing a stepped path or set of stairs up a terraced slope, but this explanation ignores other given meanings.

External source definitions …excluding politically incorrect concepts and other meanings deemed offensive today; may include extended definitions, euphemisms, and mnemonics)
Chinese: paragraph; section; segment; stage (of a process); classifier for stories, periods of time, lengths of thread etc
Japanese EDRDG: grade, steps, stairs
Unihan extended: section, piece, division

Always keep in mind that these glyphs most likely were originally designed by groups of clever old men as vulgar riddles for their own entertainment (see 籒 for that), representing Chinese society many thousands of years ago, but intended NOT as a written or spoken language when created. If these glyphs had been intended for language use, the sages could not have possibly designed a worse system! Is it truly possible that all these glyphs started out as off-color jokes and puzzles? Yes! It is, and often with multiple correct answers to each riddle, the same as is true today. Sex had no shame in ancient China. Why would it? But, have there been necessary rewrites and altered explanations of the original elemental meanings over the centuries?

No one is suggesting these glyphs depict contemporary life in China, Japan, or anywhere else. This site describes glyph meanings, not people. These glyphs however, describe many and various things, including people, long before there were any notions of becoming politically incorrect. The question to be answered is, should these glyphs continue being used, by anyone, anywhere, for expressing language? (More...) Despite how seemingly bad our human existence is today, do you actually believe that the so-called good old days were any better? Or could they have been worse?

By the way, with a limited number of the same elements used by the sages again and again to form these glyphs, you should expect to find the same explanations again and again, as tedious as that may become, and as an inherent trait of any lexicon. This site explains multiple meanings of glyphs ignored or censored by other sources, generally as being too embarrassing to admit today.