市

shì

noun HSK 2 #1,932

Meanings

Běijīng shì shì Zhōngguó de shǒudū.

Beijing is the capital of China.

Wǒ zhù zài Shànghǎi shì.

I live in Shanghai.

Zhège shì hěn xiǎo.

This city is very small.

usage

市 is the administrative designation for a city. China's four direct-controlled municipalities (直辖市) are Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing.

history

Originally 市 meant 'market/marketplace.' The meaning expanded to 'city' because cities grew around markets.

市 shì