<p>We don't call "公安" short for "公共安全".
In life, "公安" always means the police.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-10T03:09:38.937Z
2017-10-10T03:09:38.937Z
Pengfei Fang
<p>It's a convention or a result by the consensus of the mass. And no, "公安" is an official title.</p>

<p>Actually, "国家安全部", which you refer, we usually call it "国安".</p>

<p>Besides, what is your question?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-09T18:40:02.773Z
2017-10-09T18:40:02.773Z
Kevman
<p>公安 should be the shortened form of 公共安全 and English language media outlets of China give the official translation as Ministry of Public Security for 中国公安部. But the original Chinese is not so formal which should be 中国公共安全部 because there are counterparts 国家安全部，安全生产监督总局, which are not presented in shortened forms.</p>

<p>Unlike cases of 发改委,工信部 that are informal and have their full-length official title,  公安部 is a formal title which is a little awkward. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-08T03:52:12.507Z
Isn’t this like asking is the term FBI informal because it’s not written ‘federal bearuea of investigation’? But anyway, the full Chinese is actually 中华人民共和国公安部 - so just remove the prc part and you still have 公安部 left over.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-08T03:55:59.217Z
It is called 公安部 officially, but not 公共安全部.
fefe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-08T05:41:04.987Z
公安 is a fixed term, not an acronym. In  the city level, there is 公安局,  in the province level, there is 公安厅, and in the central government level, there is 公安部.
Huang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-08T05:54:55.213Z
公安 is imported from Japan. It is a word by its self. 安全生产监督总局 is shortened to 安监总局
sfy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-08T06:59:03.683Z
@user3306356 You get me wrong. The example you gave has nothing to do with what I said. I said that from the English version it is not difficult to find out 公安 means 公共安全, but why the Chinese is a shortened one? Simply put, the English version is in full form while the Chinese is in short form.
NanningYouth
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-08T23:31:41.983Z
@NanningYouth Sometimes it is called the MPS in English as well, but I guess seeing as it is kind of obscure media and other outlets would opt for a full title.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-08T23:32:56.967Z
As you can see here they have to put the acronym in brackets: China.org.cn-26 Sep 2017
Chinese police solved 2,837 cases in cooperation with the Interpol in 2016, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-09T01:50:56.230Z
@user3306356 Let me put it more clearly, from the viewpoint of equivalence and alignment, if you use MPS, then I offer you 公安部, but if you use Ministry of Public Security, then isn't it logical I should give you 公共安全部?
NanningYouth
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-09T04:03:25.583Z
But there is no 公共安全部. I get where you’re coming from, but even the official name is *just* 公安部. Reversely you could see where the English came from 公 public 安 safety 部 sector.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-09T05:26:41.653Z
公安部 is not translated from Ministry of Public Security. Chinese does not have to align with English. Why do they not align? It is because they are two different languages.
fefe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-09T08:03:38.457Z
公安 and 公共安全 are two different words in Chinese now. I can hardly think of a context where 公共安全 can be shortened to 公安, or 公安 to be "lengthened" to 公共安全.
fefe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-10T00:27:53.627Z
the logic is sound, but the reality - a little different.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-10T04:01:23.343Z
@user3306356 OK, now I know. It is a shortened form in disguise but it has already been accepted as a complete form or official name, something like a man is better known for his nickname than his real name, Mark Twain , etc.
NanningYouth
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-11T06:58:09.347Z
Though some Chinese word comes from two words, but we consider that it is a full word but not the shorten form, like that 科技 is a word referred to 科学 and 技术.
xenophōn
<meaning-in-context>
Is 公安 an informal expression when used in the title?
# Is 公安 an informal expression when used in the title?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-08)

公安 should be the shortened form of 公共安全 and English language media outlets of China give the official translation as Ministry of Public Security for 中国公安部. But the original Chinese is not so formal which should be 中国公共安全部 because there are counterparts 国家安全部，安全生产监督总局, which are not presented in shortened forms.

Unlike cases of 发改委,工信部 that are informal and have their full-length official title, 公安部 is a formal title which is a little awkward.

**Tags:** meaning-in-context

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Isn’t this like asking is the term FBI informal because it’s not written ‘federal bearuea of investigation’? But anyway, the full Chinese is actually 中华人民共和国公安部 - so just remove the prc part and you still have 公安部 left over.  
> **username_2**: It is called 公安部 officially, but not 公共安全部.  
> **username_3**: 公安 is a fixed term, not an acronym. In  the city level, there is 公安局,  in the province level, there is 公安厅, and in the central government level, there is 公安部.  
> **username_4**: 公安 is imported from Japan. It is a word by its self. 安全生产监督总局 is shortened to 安监总局  
> **username_0**: @user3306356 You get me wrong. The example you gave has nothing to do with what I said. I said that from the English version it is not difficult to find out 公安 means 公共安全, but why the Chinese is a shortened one? Simply put, the English version is in full form while the Chinese is in short form.  
> **username_1**: @username_0 Sometimes it is called the MPS in English as well, but I guess seeing as it is kind of obscure media and other outlets would opt for a full title.  
> **username_1**: As you can see here they have to put the acronym in brackets: China.org.cn-26 Sep 2017 Chinese police solved 2,837 cases in cooperation with the Interpol in 2016, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).  
> **username_0**: @user3306356 Let me put it more clearly, from the viewpoint of equivalence and alignment, if you use MPS, then I offer you 公安部, but if you use Ministry of Public Security, then isn't it logical I should give you 公共安全部?  
> **username_1**: But there is no 公共安全部. I get where you’re coming from, but even the official name is *just* 公安部. Reversely you could see where the English came from 公 public 安 safety 部 sector.  
> **username_2**: 公安部 is not translated from Ministry of Public Security. Chinese does not have to align with English. Why do they not align? It is because they are two different languages.  
> **username_2**: 公安 and 公共安全 are two different words in Chinese now. I can hardly think of a context where 公共安全 can be shortened to 公安, or 公安 to be "lengthened" to 公共安全.  
> **username_1**: the logic is sound, but the reality - a little different.  
> **username_0**: @user3306356 OK, now I know. It is a shortened form in disguise but it has already been accepted as a complete form or official name, something like a man is better known for his nickname than his real name, Mark Twain , etc.  
> **username_5**: Though some Chinese word comes from two words, but we consider that it is a full word but not the shorten form, like that 科技 is a word referred to 科学 and 技术.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-10-10. Score: 1

We don't call "公安" short for "公共安全".
In life, "公安" always means the police.


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### Answer by username_7 on 2017-10-09. Score: 0

It's a convention or a result by the consensus of the mass. And no, "公安" is an official title.

Actually, "国家安全部", which you refer, we usually call it "国安".

Besides, what is your question?


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