Definition
公益 (gōng yì) refers to public welfare or the common good — it's used for non-profit, charitable, or community-benefit activities. In contrast, 利益 (lì yì) means 'benefit' or 'interest', usually personal or material gain. 公益 always carries a sense of serving the public, not private profit.
noun
public welfarepublic interest
Easily confused
- 工艺gōng yìsound-alikecraft; arts and crafts
Examples
- 公益。Zhège gōng yì xiàngmù bāngzhù le hěn duō pínkùn xuéshēng.This public welfare project has helped many impoverished students.
- 公益。Tā yìzhí zhìlì yú gōng yì shìyè.She has always been committed to the public welfare cause.
- 公益。Hěn duō qǐyè dōu huì zuò gōng yì guǎnggào.Many companies run public service advertisements.
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