主城区 (zhǔ chéng ōu) — main urban area, downtown (the central part of…

Definition

noun

main urban areadowntown (the central part of a city, as opposed to suburbs or rural areas)

主城区。
zhǔ chéng ōu De fáng jià bǐ jiāo qū guì hěn duō.
Housing prices in the main urban area are much higher than in the suburbs.
主城区。
Zhè jiā gōng sī wèi yú zhǔ chéng ōu de zhōng xīn dì dài.
This company is located in the heart of the main urban area.
主城区。
zhǔ chéng ōu De rén kǒu mì dù bǐ zhōu biān dì qū dà.
The population density in the main urban area is greater than in the surrounding areas.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

城区urban district

偏正Modifier + head

The central downtown area combines 主, main, with 城区, the urban district of a city.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

土成城

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔsoil

Sound part声符shēngfú

成

Same sound today

城 pairs 土 (soil) with 成 as a sound part, because city walls were originally made of stamped earth.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 區; 区 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 區 is made from 匸 and 品; the simplified 区 is a shorthand.