營

Phono-semantic compound:

宮 (집 궁, “palace, house”) — semantic, indicating a structure or organized establishment.

熒 (등불 형, “brightness, light”) — phonetic, providing the sound 영 and connoting activity or radiance.

The modern form is simplified from an earlier composition where 熒 appeared in full. The idea conveys “organized brightness within an establishment,” hence management, planning, or camp organization.

경영 (經營) — management, administration

운영 (運營) — operation, management

군영 (軍營) — army camp, barracks

야영 (野營) — camping outdoors

진영 (陣營) — camp, faction, political or ideological camp

영지 (營地) — campsite, base, or military ground

In early Chinese usage, 營 primarily referred to a military encampment — an organized, fortified area for soldiers — later extended to civil management and administration.

軍營 (군영) — military camp or garrison; the original meaning in classical Chinese.

經營天下 (경영천하) — “to manage the realm,” a phrase in historical and Confucian contexts referring to statecraft or governance.

營火 (영화) — campfire, lit fire for a military or outdoor camp.

Over time, the concept of 營 evolved from physical organization (camp) to abstract organization (management, administration) — a metaphorical extension still visible in modern compounds such as 運營 (operation) and 經營 (management).