城池

chéngchí

noun #35,562

Measure Word

一座城池 zuò

Meanings

1 walled city
2 city (literary, with emphasis on its fortifications)

Characters

city wall; walled city

Examples

HSK 6

古代的城池都有护城河。

Gǔdài de chéngchí dōu yǒu hùchénghé.

Ancient walled cities all had moats.

HSK 7-9

敌军攻陷了三座城池。

Díjūn gōngxiàn le sān zuò chéngchí.

The enemy captured three walled cities.

Tips

history

城 = the city wall, 池 = the moat (originally 'pool', specifically the water-filled trench around the wall). Together they evoke a fortified ancient Chinese city, a recurring image in historical fiction and 三国 'Three Kingdoms' contexts. In modern speech 城市 chéngshì is the neutral word; 城池 is poetic/historical.

Stroke Order

城 chéng

池 chí