[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Politics-and-Military # 国 guó nation, country ## Components [[囗 (weí)]] [[玉 yù]] [[玉 (wáng，yù)]] ## Meaning The character 国 (guó) primarily means "country" or "nation" in modern usage. It refers to a sovereign state with its own government and territory. Additionally, it can also refer to one's homeland or native country. ## History The character 国 (guó) was originally written as "或" (huò). According to ancient understanding, a country should be composed of "口" (kǒu) representing the population, "疆" (jiāng) representing territory, and "戈" (gē) representing the military. These three components combined form "或," representing a city-state defended by an army. Later, to emphasize the importance of land to a country, "土" (tǔ) was added next to "或," creating the character "域" (yù). In the seal script, "或" was written as "國," resembling the boundaries of a territory guarded by a military. The modern character "国" embodies the hope that people will cherish their country as they cherish precious jade. The original meaning of 国 (guó) is "country" or "nation." ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[国oracular 1.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[国bronze 1.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[国 seal.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[国 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[国 reg.svg]]