Grammar Point:
The term 共 gòng in Chinese often translates to “altogether” or “in total.” It’s often paired with a numeral or a quantity to represent the entirety of something.
Structure
共 gòng + (V) + Numeral or Quantity
In daily conversation, it is more common to say 一共 yígòng.
共有三十人出席會議共有三十人出席会议
A total of thirty people attended the meeting.
這本書共十五課这本书共十五课
This book consists of a total of fifteen lessons.
我們共完成了十項任務我们共完成了十项任务
We completed a total of ten tasks together.
共攝取了2000大卡的卡路里共摄取了2000大卡的卡路里
In total, consumed 2000 calories.
兩杯奶茶、五杯咖啡、一個蛋糕,共八樣商品,對嗎?两杯奶茶、五杯咖啡、一个蛋糕,共八样商品,对吗?
Two cups of milk tea, five cups of coffee, one cake, totaling eight items, right?
這場意外共死了35人这场意外共死了35人
This accident resulted in a total of 35 deaths.
FYI
The secret that can’t be spoken of:
Is there an unspoken rule in China that the number of accidental deaths cannot exceed 35 people? Certain Chinese netizens have questioned the significance of the number “35,” even speculating that it might be the officially sanctioned “death toll” set by Chinese authorities. Rumor has it that if the death count surpasses 35, someone is at risk of losing their job. Netizens compiled a list of accidental death incidents in recent years, and astonishingly, they all seem to tally up to “35 people.”
Practice
TouchHover over the space to see the answers.
✔️ It took me a total of two hours to finish reading this book.
我共花了兩小時看完這本書我共花了两小时看完这本书
✔️ We have sold a total of eighty items this month.
我們這個月共出售了八十件商品我们这个月共出售了八十件商品
✔️ So far, I have written a total of 370 articles.
目前為止,我共寫了370篇文章目前为止,我共写了370篇文章