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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'city' with 城市 (chéngshì)

    Description & Modification
    Location & Position

    Structure

    Adjective + 城市 / 城市 + Noun

    Explanation

    城市 (chéngshì) means "city" and refers to an urban area as opposed to the countryside. It is used in both everyday and formal contexts, such as 大城市 (big city) or 城市生活 (city life). It can function as a noun on its own or as a modifier before other nouns.

    Examples

    • 北京是一个非常大的城市。

      Běijīng shì yī gè fēicháng dà de chéngshì.

      Beijing is a very large city.

    • 很多年轻人离开农村，去城市找工作。

      Hěn duō niánqīng rén líkāi nóngcūn, qù chéngshì zhǎo gōngzuò.

      Many young people leave the countryside to find work in the city.

    • 这座城市的夜景特别漂亮。

      Zhè zuò chéngshì de yèjǐng tèbié piàoliang.

      The night view of this city is especially beautiful.

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    Expressing 'city' with 城市 (chéngshì) | Chinese Grammar