公款
gōng kuǎn · HSK 7
public money
💰 公款 = public (公) + funds (款); government money
公 means public or communal, the same 公 in 公共 (public) and 公司 (company). 款 means a sum of money or funds. Together: public funds, i.e. state or institutional money, often in contexts of misuse like 挪用公款 (embezzlement).
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.'