WHOLE CHARACTER
层céng
a layer; a floor (五层楼, 云层); a level; rank (阶层, 上层); (measure) layer (一层薄膜); repeated (层出不穷)
层 is a layer — floors of a building and levels of society.
The header's 形声 account refers to the traditional 層 (尸 + 曾 as sound); the modern form shows 尸 over 云 — the modern split and the old sound side are kept separate.
MEANING-SIDE WRAPPER (THE RADICAL 尸)
尸shī
a corpse; the lying-figure radical
A standard radical; ZDIC names it the meaning side of 层.
In 层: meaning-side wrapper (the radical 尸) ZDIC names 尸 as the meaning side.
MODERN INNER PIECE (云)
云yún
cloud; to say
Standalone meanings are kept separate from their role in other characters.
In 层: modern inner piece (云) The modern inner piece is 云; the traditional sound side was 曾, a different piece — no sound rule is taught.