城

chéng
#413 most
frequent character
city, town
noun
Measure words:座 zuò,道 dào,个 gè

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

城 joins 土 earth with 成 chéng, which supplies both the sound and the sense of inner city walls. The first meaning was city walls. From walls it grew to mean the city itself.

Drawn as: earth

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Example Sentences

我住在这座城里。
wǒ zhùzài zhè zuò chéng lǐ 。
I live in this city.
这座城有很多历史。
zhè zuò chéng yǒu hěnduō lìshǐ 。
This city has a lot of history.
我们应该去其他的城看看。
wǒmen yīnggāi qù qítā de chéng kànkàn 。
We should visit other towns.

Words with similar meanings

市shì
city
A more general term that can refer to any city, often used in official contexts.
镇zhèn
town
Refers to a smaller urban area than a city, often with its own local government.

Homophones

HSK 6
盛chéng
to hold, contain, to ladle
HSK 6
橙chéng
orange tree, orange (color)
成chéng
(measure word)
呈chéng
to present to a superior, memorial
惩chéng
to punish, to reprimand, to warn

Words Starting With 城

城市chéng shì
city; town
城堡chéng bǎo
castle; rook (chess piece)

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