The word 公司 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core concept. 公 (gōng) carries the meaning of "public", "collective", or "shared", implying a communal or non-private endeavor. 司 (sī) means "to manage", "to take charge of", or "an office/bureau". Historically used for government departments, it denotes administration and operation. Thus, together they conceptually create the idea of a "publicly managed" or "collectively administered" entity, which evolved into its modern meaning of a commercial company or corporation, an organization operated for shared enterprise.