侵略
qīnluè · HSK 7
invade
⚔️🪖 侵 encroach + 略 seize/plunder = to invade
侵 means to encroach or intrude on, and 略 means to seize or plunder. Together they describe forcing into territory and taking it — invasion. The qīn syllable also opens 侵入 (qīnrù), to break in.
略 — field 田 + each 各 (phonetic)
略 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 田 'field' gives the meaning and 各 supplies the sound. It originally referred to surveying or marking out fields and territory, then extended to 'plan, strategy' and 'seize/conquer.' From there it broadened to the modern senses 'outline, brief, omit, slightly.'