‘公寓’ (gōng yù) is a common noun meaning 'apartment' — a residential unit within a larger building, typically rented or owned individually. The character 公 (gōng) means 'public' or 'shared', and 寓 (yù) means 'residence' or 'dwelling'; together, they originally conveyed the idea of a shared residence, distinguishing it from a private house (house, 别墅). Today, 公寓 usually refers to modern, multi-story apartment buildings in urban areas, often with amenities like security, elevators, and shared facilities.

This term is widely used across China and other Mandarin-speaking regions for rental or purchased apartments, especially in cities. It carries a neutral-to-slightly-modern connotation and is more formal than colloquial terms like ‘房子’ (house/apartment, generic) but less formal than ‘住宅单元’ (residential unit, bureaucratic). It’s not used for dormitories (宿舍) or temporary lodging like hostels (旅舍), nor for standalone houses.