公元

• Pinyin: gōng yuán
• Hanzi breakdown: 公 = 八 (divide) + 厶 (private, reversed) — public/common; 元 = 一 + 儿 — first, origin

Meaning

AD; CE; Common Era. The dating system used to count years from the traditionally estimated birth year of Jesus.

Used in Chinese to denote years in the Common Era calendar. 公元前 means BCE (Before Common Era). Appears frequently in history, archaeology, and academic contexts. Often followed by a year or century: 公元前221年 (221 BCE), 公元八世纪 (the 8th century CE).

Examples

1. 长城最早建于公元前七世纪。 The Great Wall was first built in the 7th century BCE.
2. 这件文物大约是公元三世纪的。 This artefact is from approximately the 3rd century CE.
3. 公元前二二一年，秦始皇统一了中国。 In 221 BCE, Qin Shi Huang unified China.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, historical

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 这座寺庙建于公元六世纪。(This temple was built in the 6th century CE.)
• 公元前五百年左右，孔子开始讲学。(Around 500 BCE, Confucius began teaching.)

Don't Say

• 我公元二零二五年毕业 (Don't use 公元 for modern dates — it is implied; simply say 我二零二五年毕业; 公元 is used for historical dates to clarify the era)

Origin & History

公 (common/public) + 元 (first/origin). The 'common era' — a publicly shared dating system with a common starting point.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal