國家  guó jiā OC: kʷɯɯɡ kraa MC: kək kɣɛ 155 AttributionsWD

The current standard word for the nation as represented by the leading families, and opposed to the state as mere territory and inhabitants, is guó jiā 國家.

Word relations
• Contrast: 邦/STATE Bāng 邦 is an area-orientated old word referring to an extended state without emphasising the leading role of a capital in that state, and the word was increasingly replaced by guó 國 even before taboo rules related to the name of Liú Bāng had their impact. 1 Attribution
• Synon: 社稷/NATION Shè jì 社稷 refers to the altars of the land and grain as symbols of the nation. 2 Attributions
• Oppos: 身/SELF Shēn 身 typically refers to the subject in a contrastive way, and the word is often hard to distinguish from the nominal concept of a person. Adverbially, the word is different from PERSONALLY in that it does not connote distinction in the agent. 1 Attribution

Syntactic words
• NP[post-N]the homeland; the nation including its leading clans; our nation, my nation, the polity108 Attributions
• NPindefinite a homeland, a nation7 Attributions
• NPnonreferentialthe nation; a nation32 Attributions
• NPpluralthe homelands in question2 Attributions
• NPpost-Nthe nation of N; the homeland of N6 Attributions

社稷  shè jì OC: ɡljaʔ tsɯɡ MC: dʑɣɛ tsɨk 90 AttributionsWD

Shè jì 社稷 refers to the altars of the land and grain as symbols of the nation.

Word relations
• Object: 滅/DESTROY Miè 滅 refers to the physical destruction of cities or states, and the word implies the use of external military force, and typically military resistance. 1 Attribution
• Contrast: 國/STATE The dominant word is guó 國, and the word naturally focusses on the capital which defines the identity of the state, but from Warring States times the word does refer to the whole of the territory, as the term guó xiāo 國削 "the state was truncated" shows. 1 Attribution
• Contrast: 天下/POWER1 Attribution
• Synon: 國家/NATION The current standard word for the nation as represented by the leading families, and opposed to the state as mere territory and inhabitants, is guó jiā 國家. 2 Attributions
• Oppos: 身/SELF Shēn 身 typically refers to the subject in a contrastive way, and the word is often hard to distinguish from the nominal concept of a person. Adverbially, the word is different from PERSONALLY in that it does not connote distinction in the agent. 2 Attributions

Syntactic words
• NP(post-N)the nation of the the contextually determinate person3 Attributions
• NP[post-N]our (one's) nation, national ancestral and moral heritage73 Attributions
• NPabsocialthe nation1 Attribution
• NPindefiniteancestral altars 人社稷3 Attributions
• NPpost-N(the subject's own) sacred altars as symbols of nation> nation9 Attributions
• NPpost=Nprthe nation/altars of the land and grain of Npr1 Attribution

邦國  bāng guó OC: prooŋ kʷɯɯɡ MC: pɣɔŋ kək 18 AttributionsWD

Bāng guó 邦國 is an ancient general territorially focussed designation for a nation which continues in nostalgic use.

Syntactic words
• NPdefinitethe state9 Attributions
• NPindefinitestates3 Attributions
• NPnonreferentialthe state2 Attributions
• NPpluralthe states of the empire4 Attributions

邦家  bāng jiā OC: prooŋ kraa MC: pɣɔŋ kɣɛ 9 AttributionsWD

Syntactic words
• NPdefinitethe family dominating the realm> the nation7 Attributions
• NPindefinitea country1 Attribution
• NP{N1&N2}indefinitestates with their senior clans1 Attribution

宗廟  zōng miào OC: tsuuŋ mraws MC: tsuo̝ŋ miɛu 1 AttributionWD

Zōng miào 宗廟 "ancestral temples" is the very common metonymic designation for the nation as a primarily ritual and perhaps even religious entity, and it is important that the symbolic reference to the buildings often remains relevant to the abstract meaning of the term.

Syntactic words
• NP[post-N]one's ancestral temples as symbols of the nation1 Attribution