公顷
gōngqīng · HSK 7
hectare
🌾 公 gōng (public) + 顷 qǐng (unit of area) = hectare
公 means public/standard and shows up in metric units like 公斤 (kilogram) and 公里 (kilometer). 顷 is an older Chinese area unit, so 公顷 literally reads as the standard/metric 顷 — i.e. the hectare (10,000 m²).
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.'