民主
mínzhǔ · HSK 6
democracy
🗳️ 民主 = people + master — the people are the masters
民 (mín) means people or citizens, 主 (zhǔ) means master or lord. Together they flip the old hierarchy: the people themselves are the rulers.
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.