Chinese word

城里

Pronunciation

Pinyinchéng lǐ

Meaning

  • nouncity

Example

他在城里工作。tā zài chéng lǐ gōng zuò

He works in the city.

Illustration for 城里 (city)

More examples

游客喜欢在节日到城里逛街。yóu kè xǐ huān zài jié rì dào chéng lǐ guàng jiē

Tourists like to go shopping in the city during festivals.

Core concept

The built-up part of a city, seen as the area inside the town rather than the surrounding countryside.

Common phrases

  • 从城里出来cóng chéng lǐ chū lái

    come out of the city

  • 进入城里jìn rù chéng lǐ

    enter the city

  • 离开城里lí kāi chéng lǐ

    leave the city

Similar words

城市chéng shì: A city as a whole, including its people, facilities, government, and economic activity.
市区shì qū: An urban district where business and housing are concentrated.
市内shì nèi: A place within the boundaries of a city.
郊区jiāo qū: An area away from the city center, with more homes, fields, or open land.

Definition in Chinese

指城市内部或市区的范围，通常指建成区而不是乡下或郊外。zhǐ chéng shì nèi bù huò shì qū de fàn wéi tōng cháng zhǐ jiàn chéng qū ér bú shì xiāng xià huò jiāo wài

Word origin

城 (chéng, "city") + 里 (lǐ, "inside") originally described the area within a walled town and now commonly refers to its urban area.

Usage tips

  • English city can include both urban and less-developed parts of a municipality, while this word helps mark the urban setting in everyday location phrases.

Other meanings

  • downtownnoun
  • urban areanoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 城里人chéng lǐ réncity dwellernoun

Word lists with this word