公允 (gōng yǔn) — fair; equitable; just

Definition

Formal written word for 'fair and just,' typically used in legal, institutional, or evaluative contexts (judgments, policies, assessments). Much more literary than everyday 公平.

adjective
fairequitablejust

Examples

  • 公允。
    Tā de píng jià hěn gōng yǔn.
    His evaluation is very fair.
  • 公允。
    Fǎ yuàn zuò chū le gōng yǔn de pàn jué.
    The court made a fair judgment.
  • 公允。
    Zhè ge zhèng cè duì gè fāng dōu hěn gōng yǔn.
    This policy is fair to all parties.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

公gōngfair
允yǔnequitable

公 fair and 允 equitable; together mean fair and just.

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 →

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

允 is drawn as a person with the hands held behind the back.

Open 允 →

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