城市 (chéngshì) — city; urban area

HSK 4 | noun | a large populated urban settlement

城市 (chéngshì)

城市 refers to a city or urban area as opposed to the countryside or rural regions.

Meanings

  1. [noun] City; urban area; town.

Example Sentences

上海是中国最大的城市之一。 Shànghǎi shì Zhōngguó zuì dà de chéngshì zhī yī. Shanghai is one of the largest cities in China.

越来越多的人搬到城市生活。 Yuè lái yuè duō de rén bāndào chéngshì shēnghuó. More and more people are moving to cities to live.

这座城市的交通非常方便。 Zhè zuò chéngshì de jiāotōng fēicháng fāngbiàn. The transportation in this city is very convenient.

城市的发展带来了很多机会。 Chéngshì de fāzhǎn dàilái le hěn duō jīhuì. Urban development has brought many opportunities.

Collocations

Collocation Meaning
大城市 large city; metropolis
城市化 urbanization
城市发展 urban development
城市生活 city life
城市居民 urban residents

Usage Notes

城市 contrasts with 农村 (nóngcūn, rural area/countryside). The measure word for cities is 座 (zuò), as in 一座城市. The process of people moving from rural to urban areas is called 城市化 (urbanization), a major topic in modern Chinese society.

Memory Hook

城 means "city wall/castle" and 市 means "market" — a place with city walls and a market is a city.