公共 gōnggòng public
public; common; communal
How to remember 公共: 公 public + 共 collectively = public.
Characters
How it is used
- An attributive adjective, always before a noun, meaning "public/communal" - 公共汽车 (gōnggòng qìchē) public bus, 公共场所 public place.
- Different from 公开 (gōngkāi) "open/public" in the sense of not secret (public statement, public information) - 公共 is about shared use by everyone, not secrecy.
- Doesn't stand alone as a predicate - you can't say 这个是公共, you need a noun after it.
Example sentences
- 附近有公共汽车站。 Fùjìn yǒu gōnggòng qìchēzhàn.There's a bus stop nearby.
- 公共汽车上发生什么了？ Gōnggòngqìchē shàng fāshēng shénme le?What happened on the bus?
- 公共汽车多久发车一次？ Gōnggòngqìchē duōjiǔ fāchē yīcì?How often does the bus run?