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connected with ordinary people in society in general 平民的；大众的；公众的；百姓的 The campaign is designed to increase public awareness of the issues. 这场运动旨在提高民众对这些问题的认识。 Levels of waste from the factory may be a danger to public health. 工厂废弃物的排放量可能危及大众的健康。 Public safety must come first. 公共安全必须放在首位。 Why would the closure of hospitals be in the public interest (= useful to ordinary people)? 关闭医院怎么会对民众有利呢？ The government had to bow to public pressure. 政府不得不向公众的压力低头。
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provided, especially by the government, for the use of people in general 公共的；公立的 a public education system 公共教育体系 a public library 公共图书馆
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connected with the government and the services it provides 政府的；有关政府所提供服务的 public money/spending/funding 公共资金/支出/资金 He spent much of his career in public office (= working in the government). 他的职业生涯中大部分时间从事政府工作。 - (British English)
the public purse (= the money that the government can spend) 国库 The rail industry is no longer in public ownership (= controlled by the government). 铁路业不再归国有了。 Schools are worried about public spending cuts. 学校担心削减公共开支。
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known to people in general 人人皆知的；公开的 Details of the government report have not yet been made public. 政府报告的细节尚未公布。 a public figure (= a person who is well known because they are often on the television, radio, etc.) 公众人物 She entered public life (= started a job in which she became known to the public) at the age of 25. 她 25 岁时开始了面对公众的工作。 This latest scandal will not have done their public image (= the opinion that people have of them) any good. 最近的丑闻对他们的公众形象没有任何好处。
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open to people in general; intended to be seen or heard by people in general 公之于众的；公开的 There is a ban on smoking in public places. 公共场所禁止吸烟。 A public meeting to discuss the issue will be held tomorrow night. 明晚将举行公开会议讨论这个问题。 The company was forced to issue a public apology. 该公司被迫公开道歉。 The painting will be put on public display next week. 这幅画将于下周公开展出。 This may be the band's last public appearance together. 这可能是这个乐队最后一次全体公开亮相。 The reception and other public areas have been refurbished. 接待处和其他公共区域已经翻新。
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where there are a lot of people who can see and hear you 公开场合的；大庭广众的
of ordinary people普通人
for everyone公众
of government政府
seen/heard by people公开
place地方
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, from Latin publicus, blend of poplicus ‘of the people’ (from populus ‘people’) and pubes ‘adult’.
Idioms
be common/public knowledge
to be something that everyone knows, especially in a particular community or group 常识；众所周知 Their relationship is common knowledge. 他们的关系是常识。
go public
to tell people about something that is a secret 公之于世；公开（秘密等） A court order failed to stop her going public with the story. 法院命令未能阻止她将此事公之于众。
(of a company 公司 to start selling shares on the stock exchange 上市；公开出售股份
in the public eye