gung1 dak1 sam1公德心
Jyutpinggung1 dak1 sam1
Yalegūng dāk sām
Definition
Public-mindedness; civic-mindedness or concern for public welfare.
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
Focuses on the collective responsibility of individuals within a shared urban space. It is frequently used as a moral critique when someone behaves selfishly in public, such as by making excessive noise or leaving a mess. Unlike formal civic duty, this term highlights the social pressure to maintain harmony in crowded environments.
Examples
You are so inconsiderate for littering everywhere.
You should queue up for the MTR; that is basic public-mindedness.
Related words
Common phrases
lacking public-mindedness
to lack public-mindedness
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 責任感, which refers to personal responsibility or accountability for one's own actions or duties. 公德心 is specifically about how your actions affect the public and the shared environment.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
