公元

• 拼音: gōng yuán
• 汉字拆解: 公 = 八 (divide) + 厶 (private, reversed) — public/common; 元 = 一 + 儿 — first, origin

含义

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).

例句

1. 长城最早建于公元前七世纪。
2. 这件文物大约是公元三世纪的。
3. 公元前二二一年，秦始皇统一了中国。

用法指南

语境: academic, historical

语气: informative

正确说法

• 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.)

错误说法

• 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)

起源与历史

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

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal