‘公升’ (gōng shēng) is the standard Mandarin term for the metric unit ‘liter’, used to measure volume—especially of liquids like water, milk, or fuel. The character 公 (gōng) means ‘public’ or ‘standard’, indicating its status as an officially adopted, standardized unit in the metric system; 升 (shēng) is the traditional Chinese unit of volume, which was redefined to equal exactly one liter after metrication. Together, 公升 literally means ‘standard sheng’, distinguishing it from older, non-metric uses of 升.

This term is widely used in everyday life across mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore—in supermarkets, gas stations, cooking instructions, and scientific contexts. It’s more common than the abbreviated form 升 alone when precision or formality is required, though 升 is often used informally in speech and signage. Note that 公升 is not used for dry goods (e.g., rice or flour), where weight units like 克 or 千克 are preferred instead.