The origin and evolution of Chinese characters are as follows:
The initial text of "country" is "or", which is also an ancient word of "domain". The bronze inscriptions in the middle of the Zhou Dynasty were the earlier "countries". The original meaning of the word is "state" and "fief". The configuration of the word has the land ("one") and the force "ge" to defend the land of the city. The four sides of "Ai" have a horizontal line, which may indicate that this important place is guarded by people on all sides.
later, these four strokes were simplified into one stroke; In the bronze inscriptions in the late Zhou Dynasty, the word "or" was borrowed as probable or doubtful, and a word "wéi" was added to indicate the territorial scope. Read guó. Xiao zhuan in Qin dynasty inherited the form of late Zhou Jinwen. It turned the "country" into a stereotyped square character.
the word "Guo" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions consists of "Ge+Kou", which means "army and population". It can be understood as: the population constitutes an army, and the army defends the population. This is the country. In inscriptions on bronze, official script and regular script, the word "country" has an extra "exit" around it, indicating that the country has borders around it; The word "country" in official script and regular script is also added with "one", which means "land". This constitutes a complete country.
related words
1. Land of abundance
Interpretation: It originally refers to areas with superior natural conditions, fertile land and rich products. Ancient times refers to the Guanzhong area with Xi 'an as the center. Later, it refers to Chengdu Plain.
Source: Qin Ce I, the Warring States Policy: "The land is rich and beautiful, the people are rich, the chariots are multiplied, and millions of people are courageously attacked. The fertile fields are thousands of miles away, and the terrain is convenient. This is called Tianfu, and it is also a country in the world."
2. Nations
Interpretation: (Name) Countries that coexisted in a certain period: Eastern Zhou countries.