gōng mín
citizen
中华人民共和国公民在法律面前一律平等。
Zhōnghuá rénmín gònghéguó gōngmín zài fǎlǜ miànqián yīlǜ píngděng.
All citizens of the People's Republic of China are equal before the law.
公民有言论、出版、集会、结社、游行、示威的自由。
Gōngmín yǒu yánlùn, chūbǎn, jíhuì, jiéshè, yóuxíng, shīwēi de zìyóu.
Citizens have the freedom of speech, publication, assembly, association, procession and demonstration.
公民有选举权和被选举权。
Gōngmín yǒu xuǎnjǔquán hé bèi xuǎnjǔquán.
Citizens have the right to vote and to be elected.
国民 (guó mín)
citizen
人民 (rén mín)
people
非公民 (fēi gōngmín)
non-citizen
外国人 (wàiguórén)
foreigner
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The Chinese word 公民 (gōngmín) for "citizen" is composed of two characters: 公 (gōng) and 民 (mín). The character 公 originally meant "public" or "common," and was often used in contrast to 私 (sī), which meant "private" or "personal." Over time, the meaning of 公 expanded to include the idea of "justice" or "fairness," and it came to be used in a variety of contexts, such as 公平 (gōngpíng, "fairness") and 公正 (gōngzhèng, "justice").The character 民 originally meant "people" or "common people," and was often used in contrast to 官 (guān), which meant "officials" or "government." Over time, the meaning of 民 expanded to include the idea of "citizenship" or "nationality," and it came to be used in a variety of contexts, such as 人民 (rénmín, "the people") and 公民 (gōngmín, "citizen").The combination of the characters 公 and 民 in the word 公民 thus conveys the idea of a person who is a member of a political community and who has certain rights and responsibilities as a citizen.
