主義
しゅぎ · shugi · JLPT N3 · noun
doctrine
📜 主義 = main (主) + righteousness (義): the main right idea you hold to
主 means main or master; 義 means justice or right meaning. A doctrine is the chief principle you treat as right. As a suffix it is the Japanese -ism: 資本主義 capitalism, 社会主義 socialism, 民主主義 democracy.
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.