邦 (bāng) · nation; state; country

Meanings

1 nation; state; country
2 federation (in compound words)

Characters

邦

bāng

nation; state; country

Examples

HSK 5

友邦之间应该互相帮助。

Yǒu bāng zhījiān yīnggāi hùxiāng bāngzhù.

Friendly nations should help each other.

HSK 6

联邦政府发布了新政策。

Liánbāng zhèngfǔ fābù le xīn zhèngcè.

The federal government released a new policy.

HSK 7-9

他来自一个邻邦。

Tā láizì yígè lín bāng.

He comes from a neighboring country.

Tips

usage

邦 is literary and mostly appears in compound words like 联邦 (federation), 邻邦 (neighboring country), and 友邦 (friendly nation). In modern Chinese, 国 is the everyday word for 'country.'

history

In ancient China, 邦 referred to feudal states. The character appears in classical texts like the Analects: 邦有道 - 'when the state has the Way.' Over time, 国 replaced it in common usage.

Components

radical

阝 yì

city; settlement (right-side form of 邑)

Right-side 阝 - city radical, side form of 邑 (settlement enclosed by walls). Carries the meaning of 邦: a fiefdom, state, or nation, originally a feudal territory granted by the king. Sits in the polity family with 都 capital, 郊 suburb, 郡 prefecture, 部 ministry - built with 阝 on the right marking administrative places.

phonetic

丰 fēng

abundant; lush

Left side 丰 supplies the sound - fēng shifting to bāng, a regular labial f/b alternation rooted in Old Chinese. 丰 itself depicts a tree heavy with foliage, faintly reinforcing the meaning of a thriving, populous state. Same phonetic anchors the small but tight family of 帮 help, 梆 wooden clapper, 浜 small stream - all bang-readers.