帝国

Meaning of 帝国

帝国 (dìguó) is an empire — 帝 (emperor) and 国 (nation). China's own dynasties were referred to as 朝; foreign empires are universally rendered as 帝国.

To say Empire in Chinese, pronounce 帝国 as Dì guó. The marks over the letters show the tones — the pitch contour that distinguishes Mandarin syllables.