公 gōng — just; honorable (designation); public; common
我们坐公共汽车去上班。Wǒ men zuò gōng gòng qì chē qù shàng bān.We take the bus to work.
Common words: 公司 (gōng sī)、办公室 (bàn gōng shì)、公园 (gōng yuán)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "honorable"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "honorable", including 公 (gōng), 令 (lìng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "honorable" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 公 (gōng), 令 (lìng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span gōng, lìng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 公 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 公 gōngjust; honorable (designation); public; commonUseful words: 公司, 办公室
- 令 lìngmake or cause to be; order; command; decree; honorableUseful words: 命令, 指令
Common words for these 2 "honorable" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 公 (gōng) — so "honorable" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "honorable".
令 lìng — make or cause to be; order; command; decree; honorable
将军下令军队前进。Jiāng jūn xià lìng jūn duì qián jìn.The general ordered the troops to advance.
Common words: 命令 (mìng lìng)、指令 (zhǐ lìng)、司令 (sī lìng)
All 2 characters
Open 公、令 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.