主义
zhǔyì · HSK 7
system
📜 主 master + 义 meaning = a guiding doctrine, the -ism suffix (社会主义 = social-ism)
主义 is the standard suffix for forming -isms: it builds 资本主义 capital-ism, 社会主义 social-ism, 现实主义 real-ism. On its own it names a tenet or doctrine: the core principle a system is built on.
主 — flame/lamp on top of a stand 王
Originally a pictograph of a lamp with a flame on top of its stand, representing the lord or master of the household who tended the fire. The meaning extended from 'lamp/host' to 'master, owner, main, principal'. The character 炷 (wick) preserves the original 'lamp' sense.