公用

• Pinyin: gōng yòng
• Hanzi breakdown: 公 = communal, public; 用 = 冂 + 丨 — use, function, apply

Meaning

For public or shared use; communal. Describes facilities, equipment, or resources used collectively rather than belonging to one individual.

Common in 公用电话 (public telephone), 公用设施 (public utilities/communal facilities), 公用厨房 (shared kitchen), and 公用事业 (public utility services). Contrasts with 专用 (exclusive use) and 私用 (private use). Can function as both an adjective and a verb.

Examples

1. 宿舍楼底层设有公用洗衣房，住客凭房卡即可使用。 There's a shared laundry room on the ground floor of the dorm building, and residents can use it with their room keycard.
2. 请勿将办公室的公用打印机用于处理私人材料。 Please don't use the office's shared printer for personal documents.
3. 这台高性能服务器是全系师生共享的公用计算资源。 This high-performance server is a shared computing resource for all faculty and students in the department.

Usage Guide

Context: facilities, workplace, housing, public services

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 走廊里的公用卫生间正在维修，暂时借用旁边的商铺。(The shared restroom in the corridor is being repaired; please temporarily use the one in the adjacent shop.)
• 公用设施的维护费用由全体业主按比例共同分摊。(The maintenance costs for communal facilities are shared proportionally among all property owners.)

Don't Say

• 用'公用'描述共同创作或合作完成的作品 — for collaborative creation use 共同创作 or 合作完成; 公用 refers only to shared use of facilities or resources

Origin & History

公 (public/communal) + 用 (use; for use)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal