王国 wángguó kingdom
kingdom; realm
How to remember 王国: 王 king + 国 country = kingdom.
Characters
How it is used
- A kingdom, literal or figurative - 英国是个王国 (Yīngguó shì ge wángguó) Britain is a kingdom; 动物王国 (dòngwù wángguó) the animal kingdom.
- Figurative use is very common: 商业王国 (business empire), 自由王国 vs 必然王国 (realms of freedom/necessity in philosophy).
- Distinguish 帝国 (dìguó, empire, larger/imperial) from 王国 (headed by a king); 王国 can also just mean a domain one dominates.