共用 (gòng yòng) — (attributive) shared; common | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used as an attributive modifier (often 的) before a noun to mean shared by a group — unlike 公共 (common / public), 共用 emphasizes joint use rather than serving the public.

adjective

(attributive) sharedcommon

Examples

共用。
Zhè shì wǒ men de gòng yòng kōng jiān.
This is our shared space.
共用。
gòng yòng De shè bèi xū yào dà jiā ài hù.
Shared equipment needs everyone's care.
共用。
Tā men dā jiàn le yí gè gòng yòng píng tái.
They built a shared platform.

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.

共gòngtogether/shared

共 means together or shared, and 用 means use, so the word describes something used together.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

廾廾gǒngtwo hands
口口kǒuan object

共 shows 廾, two hands, holding up an object. That object was written 口 and later became the 廿-like top.

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

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Appears in

Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.