Meaning of 共
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- common
- general
- to share
- together
- total
- altogether
- abbr. for 共產黨|共产党[Gong4 chan3 dang3], Communist party
How to use 共
As an adverb, 共 means "in total" or "altogether" and sits before a verb or number, often in written or formal Chinese. It also builds many common words like 一共 (yīgòng), 共同 (gòngtóng), and 公共 (gōnggòng). Example: 这本书共有十章。(Zhè běn shū gòng yǒu shí zhāng.) This book has ten chapters in total.
Picture the bottom of 共 (gòng) as two hands lifting something up together, with the top as the shared load. Many hands holding one thing means "together" and "shared."
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 共 (gòng, together) and 公 (gōng, public), especially in 公共 (gōnggòng), where the first syllable is first tone and the second is fourth tone. Also, 共 looks a bit like 其 (qí), so check that 共 has no extra horizontal strokes inside.
共 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.
共 gòng · common · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 共.
| 一共 | yīgòng | in total; altogether |
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | bus |
| 共同 | gòngtóng | common; joint |
| 公共 | gōnggòng | public; common; communal |
| 共有 | gòngyǒu | in total there are ...; to own jointly |
| 总共 | zǒnggòng | altogether; in sum; in all; in total |
| 共享 | gòngxiǎng | to share; to enjoy together |
| 共计 | gòngjì | to sum up to; to total |
| 共识 | gòngshí | common understanding; consensus |
| 共鸣 | gòngmíng | (physics) to resonate; resonance; sympathetic response |
| 公共场所 | gōnggòng chǎngsuǒ | public place |
| 和平共处 | hépíng gòngchǔ | peaceful coexistence of nations, societies etc |
Questions about 共
What does 共 mean?
共 (gòng) means "common; general" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 共?
共 is made of 1 character: 共 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 共 an HSK word?
Yes. 共 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 共 and 一共?
Both can mean "in total," but 一共 (yīgòng) is the everyday spoken choice, as in 一共多少钱? (Yīgòng duōshao qián?) How much altogether? Plain 共 sounds more formal and is common in writing, signs, and reports.
Does 共 always refer to the Communist Party?
No. It only works as an abbreviation for 共产党 (Gòngchǎndǎng) in certain set terms like 中共 (Zhōng Gòng), the Chinese Communist Party. In most words, such as 共同 (gòngtóng) or 共享 (gòngxiǎng), it simply means "shared" or "together."