国中之国
guó​zhōng​zhī​guó

state within a state

  1. 国 國 guó noun
    country
    country; nation; state; a territory with its own people and government
  2. 中 zhōng locative
    middle
    middle; center; within; among; inside a range or period of time
  3. 之 zhī particle
    [possessive]
    Connects a describing word or phrase to the noun it describes, similar to 的 de but used in formal or literary writing.
  4. 国 國 guó noun
    country
    country; nation; state; a territory with its own people and government