公然
gōng rán · HSK 7
openly
📢 公 (public) + 然 (so/like that) = done in a public manner, openly
公 means public or open (as in 公园 park, 公司 company); 然 is a suffix meaning so or in that way (as in 自然 natural). Together: in a public way — openly, out in the open, undisguised.
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.'