gōng gòng
public; common; community
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公共汽车站就在前面。
Gōnggòng qìchē zhàn jiù zài qiánmiàn.
The bus stop is just ahead.
公共场所禁止吸烟。
Gōnggòng chǎngsuǒ jìnzhǐ xīyān.
Smoking is prohibited in public places.
公共厕所很脏。
Gōnggòng cèsuǒ hěn zāng.
The public toilet is very dirty.
大众 (dàzhòng)
public
社会 (shèhuì)
society
私人 (sīrén)
private
个人的 (gèrén de)
personal
The Chinese word 公共 (gōnggòng) for "public" is composed of two characters: 公 (gōng) and 共 (gòng). The character 公 originally meant "just" or "fair" and was often used in the context of law and government. Over time, it came to be used more broadly to refer to anything that is shared or common to a group of people. The character 共 originally meant "together" or "in common" and was often used in the context of cooperation or sharing. When these two characters are combined, they create the word 公共, which refers to something that is shared or common to the public.
