公用
gōngyòng · HSK 7
be for public use
🚻 公用 = public (公) + use (用)
公 means public or communal; 用 means to use. Together 公用 labels something shared for general use — public toilets, communal kitchens, shared phones. Contrast with 私用 (private use).
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.'
用 — pictograph of a bucket or wooden pail
用 originally depicted a bucket or container, possibly a sacrificial vessel made of wood. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'to use' or 'employ,' losing its concrete object sense. The modern meaning 'use' has been standard since early classical Chinese.