Definitions
(adjective)
public; common
(adjective)
fair; just
(noun)
duke; noble title
(noun)
father-in-law
(adjective)
male (for animals)
Etymology
Pictograph of a earthen jar for holding liquid, now written as 瓮. The current meaning "public" is a phonetic loan.
About
The character 公 is structurally composed of the element 八 placed above 厶, with the latter historically representing something private or personal. This configuration conceptually conveys the idea of dividing or separating what is private to create something collective or impartial. Its earliest meanings centered on notions of fairness, equity, and the communal, as opposed to the private. Over time, these meanings extended into related domains, giving the character its modern senses of "public", "common", "official", and "governmental", as well as its use as an honorific title for male elders and a metric unit of measurement.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
公司派他去出差。
公园里的花开得很美。
请大家保持公共场所清洁。
他们正在讨论公司的公平政策。
公民有依法纳税的义务。
公交系统为市民提供了便利。
这位公主以其仁慈和智慧闻名。
在处理纠纷时，他始终秉持公心。