公论 (gōng lùn) — public opinion; general consensus

Definition

Literary/abstract noun for the 'public consensus' or 'general verdict' of a community or of history — a collective judgment, not just personal views. The compound 公 + 论 gives a weightier, more formal feel than everyday words like 看法 or 意见.

noun
public opiniongeneral consensus

Examples

  • 公论，。
    Zhè jiàn shì yǐ jīng chéng le gōng lùn, dà jiā dōu hěn rèn tóng.
    This matter has become public consensus; everyone agrees.
  • 公论，。
    Lì shǐ yǒu zì jǐ de gōng lùn, bú yòng zháo jí jiě shì.
    History has its own public consensus; there's no need to rush to explain.
  • ，公论。
    Zài fǎ tíng shàng, fǎ guān yào kǎo lǜ gōng lùn.
    In court, the judge must consider public opinion.

Origin

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.

Open 公 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 論; 论 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
侖
侖lún論lùn
Same sound today

The traditional form 論 pairs 言 (“say”) with 侖 as a sound component; the simplified 论 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 论 →

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