亡国 (wáng guó) — (verb-object) to lose national independence, to be conquered (of a nation)

Definition

亡国 (wángguó) is a verb-object phrase meaning a country is conquered or loses its independence. Used for nations falling to an invader, not for a government losing power.

verb
(verb-object) to lose national independenceto be conquered (of a nation)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 亡国。
    Gǔ dài yǒu hěn duō guó jiā dōu wáng guó le.
    Many ancient countries lost their independence.
  • ，。
    Nà ge wáng cháo wáng le guó, rén mín fēi cháng tòng kǔ.
    That dynasty was conquered, and the people suffered greatly.
  • ，亡国。
    Zài zhàn zhēng zhōng, yí gè xiǎo guó hěn róng yì wáng guó.
    In war, a small country can easily be conquered.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

亡wángto lose
国guócountry

亡 means to lose, and 国 means the country.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The shape originally marked a knife's cutting edge with a line.

Open 亡 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 國; 国 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéiclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò國guó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.

Open 国 →

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