等

Why does 等 look like this?

The top part is ⺮ (zhú), the 'bamboo' radical, and the bottom is 寺 (sì), which means 'temple.' Historically, official documents in ancient China were written on bamboo slips and kept in temple-like government offices where people had to 'wait' for their rank or processing. Hence, 'bamboo' + 'temple' = 'wait' or 'rank.'