公屋 (gōng wū) — public housing estate (Hong Kong-specific term)

Definition

Hong Kong-specific term for government-built rental housing estates. Refers to the subsidized apartments managed by the Hong Kong Housing Authority, distinct from private housing.

noun
public housing estate (Hong Kong-specific term)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 公屋。
    Xiāng gǎng de gōng wū zū jīn bǐ sī rén lóu yǔ pián yi hěn duō.
    The rent for public housing estates in Hong Kong is much cheaper than private buildings.
  • 公屋，。
    Tā shēn qǐng le gōng wū, děng le sān nián cái fēn dào fáng zi.
    She applied for public housing and waited three years before being allocated an apartment.
  • 公屋，。
    Zhè ge gōng wū de pèi tào shè shī hěn wán shàn, yǒu shāng chǎng hé xué xiào.
    This public housing estate has very complete supporting facilities, with a shopping center and a school.

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gōngpublic
屋wūhouse

公 means public and 屋 means house, so 公屋 is public housing.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
室室shìroom
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡉉
𡉉𡉉屋wū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

屋 comes from 室, meaning room, with 𡉉 for sound; its upper part later changed into an unrelated shape.

Open 屋 →

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