汽车城 (qì chē chéng) — automobile city; car-manufacturing hub

Definition

A city whose economy centers on automobile manufacturing, like Detroit or Changchun. The literal reading is 'auto city' — 城 here means a hub dominated by one industry, not a place you visit as a tourist.

noun

automobile citycar-manufacturing hub

Examples

汽车城。
Dǐ tè lǜ céng jīng shì zhù míng de qì chē chéng.
Detroit was once a famous automobile city.
汽车城。
Cháng chūn bèi chēng wéi zhōng guó de qì chē chéng.
Changchun is known as China's automobile city.
汽车城。
Zhè zuò qì chē chéng xī yǐn le dà liàng qì chē gōng chéng shī.
This automobile city attracts a large number of automotive engineers.

Origin

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.

汽车automobile

汽qìsteam车chēvehicle

偏正Modifier + head

城chéngcity

汽车 combines 汽 and 车, then specifies a 城 centered on cars.

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.

氵气汽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì汽

Same sound today

The 氵 part is water, and 气 is used for the sound and also means air, so 汽 shows water in an air-like form.

Open 汽 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →

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城 pairs 土 (soil) with 成 as a sound part, because city walls were originally made of stamped earth.

Open 城 →

Appears in