City University of Hong Kong — Motto, Emblem, Colours, Anthem, and Symbols

HKU has a coat of arms; CUHK has a phoenix. CityU chose a string of English letters as its emblem — and that emblem was never originally an emblem at all. It started life as a 30th‑anniversary commemorative mark; removing the "30" digits instantly elevated it to the institution's official logo. This article collates the motto, emblem, institutional colours, anthem, floral emblem, and other symbols of City University of Hong Kong. The character of CityU's symbolic system accords with its self‑definition as a publicly funded, research‑intensive, professionally oriented, and international university — succinct, modern, forward‑looking — standing in deliberate contrast to the heraldic traditions of older universities (such as HKU's shield or CUHK's phoenix‑and‑shield). The article relies on official and publicly verifiable sources.

# 1. Motto: 敬業樂羣 (Jìngyè lèqún)

# Official Gloss

According to CityU's own explanation:

• 敬業 (the first two characters): combines academic professionalism and career ethics.
• 樂羣 (the last two characters): emphasises personal growth and group spirit, together with care for society.
• The Latin Officium denotes "a high‑minded sense of duty"; Civitas signifies both "city / township" and "union of citizens" — an implicit echo of the "City" in the University's name. (Source: About CityUHK^※)

# Classical Commentaries

The phrase 敬業樂羣 has a long exegetical tradition: according to publicly available sources, the Tang‑dynasty scholar Kong Yingda explained it as a blending of "reverent and affectionate" with "willing and joyful"; the Song‑dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi further glossed it as concentrating single‑mindedly on one's undertakings and taking pleasure in interacting with others (source: Wikipedia (HK variant)^※). By adopting this concise Confucian precept as its motto, CityU both anchors itself in the Chinese cultural tradition and, through the Latin translation and the "city / citizen" imagery, grafts that heritage onto the positioning of a modern professional university.

# 2. Emblem: A Modern Wordmark Evolved from the "CityU" Logotype

The current CityU emblem is not a traditional heraldic device but a contemporary English logotype.

(Sources: KL&K Design project page^※; Wikipedia (HK variant)^※)

# 3. Institutional Colours and Brand Identity

• The CityU brand identity is anchored by a red‑magenta palette, which together with the "CityU" wordmark and the dawn‑gradient effect forms the current visual identity system.
• The official brand page characterises the CityU ethos as "dynamic, innovative, bold, and smart"^※, and lists core values including excellence, integrity, freedom of inquiry, accountability, civility, and collaboration.
• Precise colour values (Pantone / hex): The publicly accessible brand page does not list a Pantone number or hex code for the standard colour (it directs readers to a PDF of the Corporate Identity Manual and the Brand Office). This site does not speculate about specific colour codes (marked "precise colour values not found"), and merely describes the colour as red‑magenta based on the published emblem.

# 4. Anthem: 2021 Edition, Lyrics by Way Kuo, Music by Justin Lee

The CityU anthem is a relatively recently established symbol. According to Wikipedia's HK variant, the current anthem is the 2021 version, lyrics by Prof. Way Kuo, music by Mr. Justin Lee. It comprises two chapters, 《學研出塵》(Transcending Learning and Discovery) and 《科創入世》(Engaging Innovations for the World), each with both Chinese and English editions (source: Wikipedia (HK variant)^※).

The titles of the two chapters — "Transcending Learning and Discovery" / "Engaging Innovations for the World" — neatly capture CityU's dual character as a university that prizes both "research" and "application": it seeks academic transcendence (出塵, literally "rising above the dust of the world") while stressing the translation of scientific and technological innovations into tangible societal impact (入世, "entering the world"). The fact that the anthem was only formally adopted in 2021 also reflects CityU's status as a young university whose symbolic system is still under active construction.

# 5. Floral Emblem: Bougainvillea

(Source: Wikipedia (HK variant)^※)

# 6. English Name and Abbreviations

• Full English name: City University of Hong Kong
• Official abbreviation: CityUHK (previously CityU; the cityu.edu.hk domain still reflects the older form)
• Chinese abbreviations: 城大, 香港城大

# 7. Symbol Quick‑Reference Table