畿

A phono-semantic compound:

田 (field) — semantic component

幾 (how many; near) — phonetic component

Originally, the character conveyed the idea of land surrounding the ruler, emphasizing cultivated fields located near the political center.

In ancient China, 畿 referred specifically to the territory within 500 li of the royal capital.

This area was directly administered by the central authority and was considered politically, economically, and ritually significant.

As the concept of centralized capitals spread across the Sinosphere, the meaning of 畿 expanded from royal inner domain to metropolitan area surrounding the capital.

Thus, 畿 became a general term for the core administrative zone around a capital city.

The term preserves the classical Chinese concept of 畿 most faithfully among modern states.

경기 (京畿) — capital region

경기도 (京畿道) — Gyeonggi Province, the province surrounding Seoul, the national capital

畿 is a highly political character, tied to legitimacy, governance, and ritual authority.

Unlike 京 (capital city itself), 畿 emphasizes the surrounding territory, not the urban center.

The survival of 畿 in Korean and Japanese regional names makes it a living classical administrative term.

Related characters:

京 — capital

都 — metropolis

域 — territory

圻 (U+573B) — variant / related form, sometimes used historically