公司
gōngsī · HSK 2
company
🏢 公司 = public + manage; a publicly-managed body, i.e. a company
公 means public/common, 司 means to manage or take charge of. Together they name an entity that conducts business under shared, public-facing management — a company or firm.
公 — eight 八 + private 厶
Originally an ideograph showing 八 (to divide) over 厶 (private/self), depicting the act of splitting away from selfish interest. The combination came to mean 'public' or 'fair,' the opposite of private. It later extended to senses like 'duke,' 'lord,' and 'grandfather.'
gōng sī · HSK 2
company
🏢 公 (public) + 司 (manage) = a publicly managed body — a company
公 means public/communal and 司 means to manage or take charge. Together 公司 names a body that conducts business publicly. Modern Mandarin borrowed this pairing in the 19th century to translate the Western notion of a corporation.
公 — eight 八 + private 厶
Originally an ideograph showing 八 (to divide) over 厶 (private/self), depicting the act of splitting away from selfish interest. The combination came to mean 'public' or 'fair,' the opposite of private. It later extended to senses like 'duke,' 'lord,' and 'grandfather.'