Chinese word

市中心

Pronunciation

Pinyinshì zhōng xīn

Meaning

  • noundowntown

Example

我们住在市中心。wǒ men zhù zài shì zhōng xīn

We live downtown.

Illustration for 市中心 (downtown)

More examples

周末我们去市中心逛街。zhōu mò wǒ men qù shì zhōng xīn guàng jiē

On weekends, we go to the city center to shop.

Core concept

A city's busy inner hub, with important services, movement, and public life concentrated around it.

Common phrases

  • 在市中心zài shì zhōng xīn

    in the city center

  • 去市中心qù shì zhōng xīn

    go to the city center

  • 市中心附近shì zhōng xīn fù jìn

    near the city center

Similar words

闹市区nào shì qū: A busy city district filled with people and shops and lively both day and night.
商业区shāng yè qū: A district where shops and places to eat are concentrated, making shopping and dining easy.
市中心地带shì zhōng xīn dì dài: The area at the center of a city where transport and public facilities are concentrated.

Definition in Chinese

城市的中心地带，商业、文化和交通活动集中，是城市生活和工作的核心区域。chéng shì de zhōng xīn dì dài shāng yè wén huà hé jiāo tōng huó dòng jí zhōng shì chéng shì shēng huó hé gōng zuò de hé xīn qū yù

Word origin

市中心 (shìzhōngxīn, "downtown") is a transparent compound of 市 (shì, "city") + 中 (zhōng, "middle") + 心 (xīn, "heart"), framing the city center as the city's central heart.

Usage tips

  • The surrounding verb or preposition is important because the same noun can mark a location, a destination, or a point used for distance.

Other meanings

  • city centernoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 市中心区shì zhōng xīn qūcity-center districtnoun
  • 市中心地带shì zhōng xīn dì dàicity-center areanoun

Word lists with this word