ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
共
together; altogether
gòng
6 strokes · 廾-based form — two hands raising an object together · HSK 2
What 共 is made of
龷 + 八 = 共
龷layered top
Where 共 comes from
Oracle-bone 共 showed two hands lifting a vessel in offering — the physical act of doing something jointly. Twenty hands make light work; two hands make 共.
共 in Chinese culture
一共 totals your bill ('altogether'), 公共 marks what everyone shares, 共同 means mutual. The 共 in 共产党 (Communist Party) is this same 'together' — the character does groceries and geopolitics with equal ease.
Example
一共 yígòng — altogether
我们一共五个人。
Wǒmen yígòng wǔ ge rén.
There are five of us altogether.
How to remember it
Two hands lifting one thing — TOGETHER, ALTOGETHER.
When the waiter totals your table, the question is 一共多少? 'altogether how much?' — 共 is the last character you hear before every bill in China.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 共
一共 yígòng
altogether
公共 gōnggòng
public
一共十个 yígòng shí ge
ten in total
Related characters
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