Meaning of 公众
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- public
How to use 公众
公众 is a formal noun for the general public. It often comes before another noun, as in 公众人物 (public figure) or 公众号 (WeChat official account). Example: 这个消息已经向公众公开了。(Zhège xiāoxi yǐjīng xiàng gōngzhòng gōngkāi le.) This news has already been made public.
公 (gōng) means public or shared, as in 公园 (gōngyuán) park. 众 (zhòng) is three 人 (rén) people stacked together, a crowd. Put them together and the public is the crowd that shares everything.
Common mistake: Learners often use 公众 where 大家 (dàjiā) or 人们 (rénmen) sounds more natural. 公众 belongs in news, official or formal writing, not casual talk. Also keep 众 (zhòng) in the fourth tone. Do not confuse it with 种 (zhǒng) or 中 (zhōng).
公众 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
公 gōng · public · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
众 zhòng · multitude · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 公众.
| 公司 | gōngsī | company; firm; corporation |
| 办公室 | bàngōngshì | office; business premises |
| 公平 | gōngpíng | fair; impartial |
| 公园 | gōngyuán | park (for public recreation) |
| 公里 | gōnglǐ | kilometer |
| 公路 | gōnglù | highway; road |
| 公斤 | gōngjīn | kilogram (kg) |
| 公交车 | gōngjiāochē | public transport vehicle; town bus |
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | bus |
| 观众 | guānzhòng | spectators; audience; visitors (to an exhibition etc) |
| 公开 | gōngkāi | open; overt; public; to make public; to release |
| 公民 | gōngmín | citizen |
Questions about 公众
What does 公众 mean?
公众 (gōngzhòng) means "public" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 公众?
公众 is made of 2 characters: 公 (4 strokes), 众 (6 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 公众 an HSK word?
Yes. 公众 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 公众 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 公众 is written 公眾.
What is a 公众号 on WeChat?
公众号 (gōngzhònghào) is short for 微信公众号, an official account that companies, media or individuals use to publish articles to followers. Many learners read them for real Chinese practice.
What is the difference between 公众 and 群众?
公众 means the general public as a whole, often in relation to media, government or public spaces. 群众 (qúnzhòng) means the masses or ordinary people. It has a more political tone and is common in official Chinese discourse.