国家
guójiā · HSK 1
country
🏛️ 国家 = country (国) + family (家); the state as the national household
国 is a jade/treasure (玉) enclosed by borders (囗) — a bounded realm. 家 is a roof (宀) over a pig (豕), the old sign for a household. Together: the country treated as one big family unit.
国 — enclosure 囗 + jade 玉
国 is a simplified form of 國. The outer 囗 represents borders or an enclosed territory, while the inner 玉 (jade) suggests a treasured realm ruled by a sovereign. The traditional 國 used 或 inside, depicting a guarded region with a weapon, later simplified by replacing it with 玉.
家 — roof 宀 + pig 豕
Originally a pictograph of a pig under a roof, since domesticated pigs were kept in or under the home in ancient China. Over time the meaning broadened from 'household' to 'family,' and by extension 'home' or a specialist (as in 专家, 'expert').