<p>Have a look at <a href="http://zh.wiktionary.org/zh-hant/%E5%9C%8B%E5%AE%B6">http://zh.wiktionary.org/zh-hant/%E5%9C%8B%E5%AE%B6</a>, which explains lots of traditional meanings of 国家.</p>

<p>The basic meaning is related to <code>古代諸侯的封地稱國，大夫的封地稱家</code>. In the classical age of China, there were vassal states and the land of a vassal was called 国. There were also officials titled 大夫 who were given land as well, and a 大夫's land is called 家. Later 国家 was used to mean 国 in some situations (for rhythmic reasons, I suppose). The meaning also got extended to mean the court, or the emperor, or the capital. None of these was  today's concept of 国家.</p>

<p>When Chinese and Japanese were finally exposed to the Western world in 19th century, they had to create new words or re-use old words to translate the concepts and notions which were not existed in their traditional culture. Eventually <code>国家</code> was picked to be the translation of the modern concept of a state.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-28T03:33:07.557Z
In other words, 家 originally meant something like *fief*, and not *home* or *family*.
congusbongus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-28T04:53:22.453Z
@congusbongus The original meaning of 家 is _home_, but 家 in 国家 was _fief_ not home.
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-28T11:14:50.323Z
@congusbongus A Chinese Character, whether in classic Chinese or modern Chinese, generally has serveral meanings.  The word "国家", reminds me of a sentence cited from Lunyu (the Analects),which I and many other Chinese learned from the textbook when we were students，“丘也闻有国有家者". Here 国 and 家 respectively refer to the vassal state and the fief.
Huang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-28T03:24:18.217Z
2013-11-28T03:31:35.903Z
2013-11-28T03:31:35.903Z
user58955
<p>国家 and 国 both mean "country" or "nation". However, what's the significance of the character 家 in the word? Does it really add the meaning of "home" or "family"? Is there a cultural or historical basis for this? Or did the words and/or characters mean different things in the past?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-28T01:24:30.020Z
国家 was first used to translate the western concept of `nation state` in late 19th and early 20th century. 国 had a different meaning in the past
user58955
<etymology><history>
What's the significance of 家 in 国家?
# What's the significance of 家 in 国家?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-11-28)

国家 and 国 both mean "country" or "nation". However, what's the significance of the character 家 in the word? Does it really add the meaning of "home" or "family"? Is there a cultural or historical basis for this? Or did the words and/or characters mean different things in the past?

**Tags:** etymology, history
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 国家 was first used to translate the western concept of `nation state` in late 19th and early 20th century. 国 had a different meaning in the past  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-11-28. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

Have a look at <http://zh.wiktionary.org/zh-hant/%E5%9C%8B%E5%AE%B6>, which explains lots of traditional meanings of 国家.

The basic meaning is related to `古代諸侯的封地稱國，大夫的封地稱家`. In the classical age of China, there were vassal states and the land of a vassal was called 国. There were also officials titled 大夫 who were given land as well, and a 大夫's land is called 家. Later 国家 was used to mean 国 in some situations (for rhythmic reasons, I suppose). The meaning also got extended to mean the court, or the emperor, or the capital. None of these was today's concept of 国家.

When Chinese and Japanese were finally exposed to the Western world in 19th century, they had to create new words or re-use old words to translate the concepts and notions which were not existed in their traditional culture. Eventually `国家` was picked to be the translation of the modern concept of a state.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: In other words, 家 originally meant something like *fief*, and not *home* or *family*.  
> **username_1**: @congusbongus The original meaning of 家 is _home_, but 家 in 国家 was _fief_ not home.  
> **username_2**: @congusbongus A Chinese Character, whether in classic Chinese or modern Chinese, generally has serveral meanings.  The word "国家", reminds me of a sentence cited from Lunyu (the Analects),which I and many other Chinese learned from the textbook when we were students，“丘也闻有国有家者". Here 国 and 家 respectively refer to the vassal state and the fief.  

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