帝国主义
dì guó zhǔ yì · HSK 7
imperialism
👑🌍 帝 emperor + 国 country + 主义 -ism = empire-doctrine
帝国 (dìguó) already means empire — the emperors country. Bolt on 主义 (-ism), the same suffix in 社会主义 and 资本主义, and you get the political doctrine of empire-building.
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.
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.