Chinese word

共同

Pronunciation

Pinyingòng tóng

Meaning

  • adverbtogether

Example

他们共同解决了问题。tā men gòng tóng jiě jué le wèn tí

They solved the problem together.

Illustration for 共同 (together)

More examples

我们共同承担了这项责任。wǒ men gòng tóng chéng dān le zhè xiàng zé rèn

We took on this responsibility together.

Core concept

Several people put their effort into one task, so the action belongs to the whole group.

Common phrases

  • 共同生活gòng tóng shēng huó

    live together

  • 共同工作gòng tóng gōng zuò

    work together

  • 共同完成gòng tóng wán chéng

    complete together

Similar words

一起yì qǐ: Used in everyday speech when people do something together at the same time or place.
一块儿yí kuàir: Used casually when people do something together or spend time together.

Definition in Chinese

表示两人或多人一起做某事、共同承担或共同完成某项任务，常位于动词前表示协力或共有。biǎo shì liǎng rén huò duō rén yì qǐ zuò mǒu shì gòng tóng chéng dān huò gòng tóng wán chéng mǒu xiàng rèn wù cháng wèi yú dòng cí qián biǎo shì xié lì huò gòng yǒu

Word origin

The compound 共 (gòng, "share") + 同 (tóng, "same") combines shared action with sameness, giving the word its sense of a group doing or bearing something together.

Usage tips

  • Before the main verb, this adverb frames the event as group work; it does not mean that every person carries out every step.

Other meanings

  • jointlyadverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 共同点gòng tóng diǎncommon pointnoun

Word lists with this word