主宰
zhǔzǎi · HSK 7
dominate
👑 主宰 = 主 master/host + 宰 ruler — the master-ruler who dominates and decides
主 means master or host; 宰 was a high steward who governed (and once meant butcher). Together: the one in charge who calls the shots — to dominate, dictate, decide.
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.
宰 — roof 宀 + 辛 (knife/blade)
宰 originally depicted a knife (辛) under a roof (宀), showing a servant or official who slaughtered animals for sacrifice in the household. From this it came to mean 'butcher,' then broadened to 'one who manages affairs,' yielding the modern senses 'to slaughter' and 'to govern/preside over.'