The lands around the capital have always been strategically contested.
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history
From the Zhou-dynasty system: 王畿 ('royal domain') was the thousand-li territory directly under the king, surrounded by feudal states. 《周礼》 records 'a thousand li square is called the royal demesne.' The character survives today mainly in 京畿 ('capital district' - historically the area around Beijing, Chang'an, etc.).
usage
Almost never stands alone - appears in 京畿, 畿辅 ('the capital region'), 畿内 ('within the capital district'). Bookish/historical register.
Field radical at lower-centre, the indexing radical. It pictures a plot of cultivated land divided by paths and anchors 畿 in the territory/agriculture family with 略 and 畔, evoking the tribute lands that fed the capital and its garrisons.
The doubled silk-thread element at top-left carries the sound, drifting to jī through an older phonetic series shared with 几 and 机. The fine-thread image suits how the character names the royal lands woven around the capital in concentric administrative bands.
Halberd weaponry wraps the right side, its strokes interlocking with 田 inside. It contributes meaning: the royal domain was the territory directly defended by the king's own guard, the militarised inner frontier where the sovereign's troops kept watch.
