公用

gōng yòng

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Verb Rare

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Definitions

1. public
2. for public use

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 私人 sī rén 私人 sī rén private 私人 means 'private' as opposed to 公用 ('public use').: private

Related words

1 item

• 共用 gòng yòng 共用 gòng yòng to share the use of; to have joint use of 共用 (to share use) is a related concept where multiple people use something together, compared to 公用 which emphasizes public use.: to share the use of; to have joint use of

Synonyms

1 item

• 公共 gōng gòng 公共 gōng gòng public; common; communal Both mean 'public' or 'for public use', but 公共 is more common in formal compounds like 公共场所 (public place), while 公用 is often used in phrases like 公用电话 (public telephone).: public; common; communal

Usage notes

Collocations

公用 is often used before nouns indicating facilities, e.g., 公用电话 (public telephone), 公用厕所 (public toilet). It does not typically describe institutions.

Common mistakes

Learners often misuse 公用 as a general adjective meaning 'public'. It specifically means 'for public use' and mainly modifies physical objects or services, not concepts like 'public opinion' (公共舆论).

Example Sentences

1 shown

这里有一个 公用 电话。

There is a public telephone here.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 公用

• 公用交换电话网 公用交换电话网 gōng yòng jiāo huàn diàn huà wǎng: public switched telephone network
• 公用电话 公用电话 gōng yòng diàn huà: public phone

Child Words of 公用

• 公 公 gōng: public
• 用 用 yòng: to use