people's commune

noun

An administrative level in rural areas of the People's Republic of China from 1958 to 1983.

Meanings

nounpeople's commune (plural people's communes)

plural people's communes

  1. An administrative level in rural areas of the People's Republic of China from 1958 to 1983.

    Members of the Chinghsin people's commune in Hunchun County, Kirin Province, on the anti-revisionist forefront, demonstrated through the night.

    1969 March 14 [1969 March 13], “Report from Border Areas”, in Daily Report: Foreign Radio Broadcasts, number 50, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, sourced from Peking NCNA International Service, →OCLC, page A 6
    1 more example

    A scene from China’s great drought of 1960. Members of the Sanhsiang people's commune in Yiyang County form a "bucket brigade" to bring water from the Lo River, reduced to a trickle. China Reconstructs (Peiping), November 1960

    1961 May [1961 January 22], “China: Re-educating Capitalists”, in East Europe, A Monthly Review of East European Affairs, volume 10, number 5, New York: Free Europe Committee, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 14, column 1

Origin

Calque from Chinese 人民公社 (rénmín gōngshè).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 人民公社
  • 人民公社 (rénmín gōngshè)administrative area
Finnish kansankommuuni
  • kansankommuuniadministrative area
Swedish folkkommun
  • folkkommunadministrative area
Cite this entry
APA

people's commune. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/people's%20commune

MLA

“people's commune.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/people's%20commune. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “people's commune,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/people's%20commune.

Source: people's commune on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.