中华民族
zhōnghuámínzú · HSK 3
the Chinese nation
🇨🇳 中 middle + 华 splendid + 民 people + 族 clan = the Chinese nation
中华 is the classical name for China (Middle + Splendid), and 民族 means ethnic group or nation (people + clan). Together: the Chinese people as one nation.
中 — vertical stroke 丨 through enclosure 口
Pictograph of a banner or pole piercing the center of a target or territory, depicting the idea of 'middle' or 'center'. The horizontal frame represents boundaries, and the vertical line marks the central axis. The meaning extended from spatial center to 'middle, central, China' (中国, the Middle Kingdom).
族 — banner 㫃 + arrow 矢
族 originally depicted arrows 矢 gathered under a banner 㫃, representing a military unit or clan rallying under one flag. From this image of people united under a common standard, the meaning extended to family, tribe, and ethnic group.