公民 (gōngmín)

公民 refers to a citizen — a person who is a legally recognized member of a country and who holds certain rights and responsibilities under its laws.

Meanings

n citizen, national

Example Sentences

每位公民都有权利参与民主选举。 Měi wèi gōngmín dōu yǒu quánlì cānyù mínzhǔ xuǎnjǔ. Every citizen has the right to participate in democratic elections.

公民有责任遵守国家的法律。 Gōngmín yǒu zérèn zūnshǒu guójiā de fǎlǜ. Citizens have a responsibility to obey the country's laws.

他已经获得了这个国家的公民身份。 Tā yǐjīng huòdé le zhège guójiā de gōngmín shēnfèn. He has already obtained citizenship of this country.

学校教育培养学生成为有责任感的公民。 Xuéxiào jiàoyù péiyǎng xuésheng chéngwéi yǒu zérèngǎn de gōngmín. School education cultivates students to become responsible citizens.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
公民权利 (gōngmín quánlì)	citizens' rights
公民教育 (gōngmín jiàoyù)	civic education
公民身份 (gōngmín shēnfèn)	citizenship
普通公民 (pǔtōng gōngmín)	ordinary citizen

Usage Notes

公民 is a formal, legal term. In daily speech, 市民 (shìmín) refers more informally to residents of a city. 国民 (guómín) emphasizes membership in a nation in a broader cultural sense. 公民 carries a civic duty connotation that the others do not.

Memory Hook

公 means "public" and 民 means "people" — a citizen is a member of the public, part of the collective people.