公司

• Pinyin: gōng sī
• Hanzi breakdown: 公 = public, official; 司 = originally depicted a person managing or overseeing

Meaning

Company; corporation; firm. A business organisation.

The standard word for a commercial business entity. Used broadly for small businesses, large corporations, and everything in between. Very common in work-related conversations.

Examples

1. 她在一家大公司工作。 She works at a big company.
2. 这家公司有五百多个员工。 This company has more than five hundred employees.
3. 我想开自己的公司。 I want to start my own company.

Usage Guide

Context: work, business, career

Tone: professional

Do Say

• 你在哪家公司上班？(Which company do you work at?)
• 我们公司很大。(Our company is very large.)

Don't Say

• 不要把公司用于政府机构 — 公司 is for commercial businesses. For government agencies, use 机关 or 部门.

Origin & History

Compound of 公 (public) and 司 (to manage, administer). Originally meant 'a public management office' and evolved to mean a commercial enterprise.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal