联合国
liánhéguó · HSK 3
nation
🌐 联合国 = unite (联) + join (合) + country (国)
联 means link/unite, 合 means join/combine, 国 means country or nation. Together: the body where nations join together — the United Nations. The first two characters 联合 also form the common word for alliance or coalition.
合 — 乛 (lid/roof) + 口 (mouth)
Originally a pictograph of a lidded vessel — a cover (亼) closing over an opening (口) — giving the core sense of 'come together, join, fit.' From 'fit/match' it extended to 'combine, unite, agree' and to measure-word uses. The reading hé reflects this 'joining' meaning.
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.