都市人 (dū shì rén) — city dweller, urbanite | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A person who lives in a big city, with a fast-paced lifestyle in contrast to 乡下人 (rural dwellers). Often used to highlight the urban way of life.

noun

city dwellerurbanite

Measure word · 个

Examples

都市人。
Hěn duō dū shì rén xǐ huan zhōu mò qù jiāo wài fàng sōng.
Many city dwellers like to go to the suburbs to relax on weekends.
都市人。
dū shì rén De shēng huó jié zòu bǐ xiāng cūn kuài hěn duō.
The pace of life for urbanites is much faster than in the countryside.
，都市人。
Tā cóng xiǎo zài nóng cūn zhǎng dà, hòu lái biàn chéng le yí gè diǎn xíng de dū shì rén.
He grew up in the countryside and later became a typical city dweller.

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.

都市city

都dōumetropolis市shìcity

联合Side by side

A city and a person combine to mean someone living in a city.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

邑邑yìtown, city

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě都dōu

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

都 is built from 者, which supplies the sound, and 邑, meaning town or city.

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.

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

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