公物 (gōng wù) — public property | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

public property

Measure word · 个

Examples

公物。
Bǎo hù gōng wù shì měi gè gōng mín de zé rèn.
Protecting public property is the responsibility of every citizen.
公物，。
Zhè xiē gōng wù shì xué xiào de, bù néng suí biàn ná zǒu.
These public properties belong to the school and cannot be taken away casually.
公物，。
Qǐng dà jiā ài hù gōng wù, bú yào pò huài.
Please take care of public property and don't damage it.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

“公” means public and “物” means thing, so the word refers to public property.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

牛勿物

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

勿

勿wù物wù

Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Appears in

Society & Public Life

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