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

古代的城池都有护城河。

Gǔdài de chéngchí dōu yǒu hùchénghé.

Ancient walled cities all had moats.

敌军攻陷了三座城池。

Dí jūn gōngxiànle 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