公元

gōngyuán

noun HSK 6 #16,180

Meanings

HSK 5

公元前221年，秦始皇统一了中国。

Gōngyuánqián èr èr yī nián, Qínshǐhuáng tǒngyī le Zhōngguó.

In 221 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified China.

HSK 5

公元618年，唐朝正式建立。

Gōngyuán liù yī bā nián, Tángcháo zhèngshì jiànlì.

In 618 CE, the Tang dynasty was formally established.

HSK 6

这座建筑建于公元十世纪。

Zhè zuò jiànzhù jiàn yú gōngyuán shí shìjì.

This building was constructed in the 10th century CE.

usage

公元前 (gōngyuán qián) means 'BC' or 'BCE' - literally 'before the common era'. 公元后 is rarely used since 公元 alone implies CE/AD.

公 gōng

元 yuán