城市 (chéngshì) — city

城市 (chéngshì)

城市 means city or urban area. It refers to a populated urban center as opposed to 农村 (nóngcūn, countryside) or 农村 (xiāngcūn, rural village). Both characters contribute to the meaning: 城 means a walled town or city, and 市 means market or municipality.

Meanings

1. [noun] City; urban area. Any significant populated urban settlement.

Example Sentences

北京是中国最大的城市之一。 Běijīng shì Zhōngguó zuì dà de chéngshì zhī yī. Beijing is one of China's largest cities.

我在城市里长大。 Wǒ zài chéngshì lǐ zhǎngdà. I grew up in a city.

这个城市的交通非常方便。 Zhège chéngshì de jiāotōng fēicháng fāngbiàn. The transportation in this city is very convenient.

你更喜欢城市生活还是农村生活？ Nǐ gèng xǐhuan chéngshì shēnghuó háishi nóngcūn shēnghuó? Do you prefer city life or rural life?

Collocations

Memory Hook

城 is the old walled part of a town; 市 is the marketplace. Together they paint a picture: a walled settlement with a busy market inside — that is a 城市, a city.