封建
fēng jiàn · HSK 7
feudal
🏰 封 = seal/enfeoff + 建 = establish; lords were sealed onto granted land
封 originally meant sealing a grant of land to a noble, and 建 means to establish or set up. Together they name the feudal system where rulers established vassals by formally granting them territory.
封 — earth 土 doubled (圭) + inch 寸 (hand)
Originally a pictograph of a hand planting a sapling on a mound of earth, marking a boundary. From this came the meaning of granting fiefs to nobles, then sealing or closing off territory. The modern senses 'to seal' and 'envelope' both stem from this idea of enclosing.
建 — 廴 (stride radical) + 聿 (writing brush)
Originally depicted a hand holding a brush (聿) combined with the 廴 'stride/extend' radical, suggesting drawing out or laying down lines. From this came the meaning of setting up or establishing, as in marking out the foundations of a building. Today it broadly means to build, establish, or construct.