Chinese word

城

Pronunciation

Pinyinchéng

Meaning

  • nouncity

Example

导游带我们参观了古城的城门。dǎo yóu dài wǒ men cān guān le gǔ chéng de chéng mén

The guide took us to see the gates of the ancient city.

Illustration for 城 (city)

More examples

孩子们在城里玩得很开心。hái zi men zài chéng lǐ wán de hěn kāi xīn

The children had a great time playing in the city.

Core concept

A bounded settlement, from a defended enclosure with walls to the urban community associated with it.

Common phrases

  • 古城gǔ chéng

    ancient city

  • 城里chéng lǐ

    in the city

  • 城门chéng mén

    city gate

Similar words

城市chéng shì: A large city with developed industry, services, and transport networks.
镇zhèn: A small town or local administrative area surrounded by villages or farmland.
村庄cūn zhuāng: A small farming settlement where only a few people live.

Definition in Chinese

指有一定规模的居民聚集地，常指城市或城镇；在历史语境中也特指有城墙或防御工事的城区。zhǐ yǒu yí dìng guī mó de jū mín jù jí dì cháng zhǐ chéng shì huò chéng zhèn zài lì shǐ yǔ jìng zhōng yě tè zhǐ yǒu chéng qiáng huò fáng yù gōng shì de chéng qū

Word origin

城 (chéng, "city") uses 土 (tǔ, "earth") as its meaning component and 成 (chéng, "become") as its sound component, and its early sense of a defended enclosure broadened to the settlement inside it.

Usage tips

  • In everyday place talk, this word can cover both an urban settlement and the older walled town associated with it, so nearby history or travel words help identify the sense.

Other meanings

  • city wallnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word