Meaning
共 primarily means 'together' or 'in total' and is used to indicate collective action or to sum up quantities. It can function as an adverb meaning 'altogether' or 'in common,' and less commonly as a verb meaning 'to share.' It's a versatile character that appears in many compound words related to sharing, commonality, and collectiveness.
Usage
共 is frequently used in formal and written contexts to sum quantities (共有十个人 'there are ten people in total') or to express doing something together (共同努力 'to work together'). It's also a key component in political and social terms like 共产党 (Communist Party) and 公共 (public). In spoken language, it's often part of set phrases rather than used alone.
Examples
- 01这些苹果一共二十元。.These apples are twenty yuan in total.
- 02我们应该共同努力完成这个项目。.We should work together to complete this project.
Common collocations
- 一共in total, altogether
- 共同together, jointly, common
- 总共altogether, in sum
- 共有to have in total
Antonyms
Origin
The character 共 originally depicted two hands working together on something, representing the concept of joint effort and cooperation. This ancient pictographic origin still reflects in its modern meaning of togetherness and sharing.