城市 (chéng shì) — city; town | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A general everyday word for 'city' — covers any urban area, big or small. 都市/都会 (HSK 6–7) are more formal and imply a large metropolis, while 城镇 emphasizes towns and small cities.

noun

citytown

Measure word · 座

Examples

。
Wǒ zhù zài yí gè dà chéng shì lǐ.
I live in a big city.
城市。
Zhè ge chéng shì yǒu hěn duō rén.
This city has many people.
城市。
Tā xǐ huan qù bù tóng de chéng shì lǚ xíng.
He likes to travel to different cities.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

城市 joins 城 and 市, two related settlement terms, into one general word.

Characters in this word

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

成chéng城chéng

Same sound today

城 pairs 土 (soil) with 成 as a sound part, because city walls were originally made of stamped earth.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

兮兮xībustling

Sound part声符shēngfú

之

之zhī市shì

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The old form 市 pairs 兮, meaning bustling, with 之, the sound part.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 3 HSK 2.0 Level 3 1000 Most Frequent Chinese Words City & Urban 2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.