公里

• Pinyin: gōng lǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 公 = public, official, metric; 里 = 田 (field) + 土 (earth), originally a village or distance unit

Meaning

Kilometre. The standard metric unit of distance.

The standard distance unit in China. Used in road signs, travel descriptions, and everyday distance references. One 公里 equals 1,000 metres.

Examples

1. 我家离学校有三公里。 My home is three kilometres from school.
2. 他每天跑五公里。 He runs five kilometres every day.
3. 从这里到机场大概二十公里。 It is about twenty kilometres from here to the airport.

Usage Guide

Context: distance measurement, travel, exercise

Tone: factual

Do Say

• 从北京到上海有一千多公里。(It is over a thousand kilometres from Beijing to Shanghai.)
• 我每天走三公里。(I walk three kilometres every day.)

Don't Say

• 不要把公里和里混淆 — 一公里是1000米, 而一里大约是500米. They are different units.

Origin & History

Compound of 公 (metric/official) and 里 (a traditional Chinese distance unit, about 500m), creating the metric equivalent.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal