chéng zhèn
town; city
这个小镇很安静，适合居住。
Zhège xiǎozhèn hěn ānjìng, shìhé jūzhù.
This small town is very quiet, suitable for living.
这座城市很繁华，到处都是高楼大厦。
Zhè zuò chéngshì hěn fánhuá, dàochù dōu shì gāolóu dàshà.
This city is very prosperous, with high-rise buildings everywhere.
他们住在乡镇里，生活很悠闲。
Tāmen zhù zài xiāngzhèn lǐ, shēnghuó hěn yōuxián.
They live in the countryside, and their life is very leisurely.
市 (shì)
city
镇 (zhèn)
town
乡村 (xiāngcūn)
countryside
农村 (nóngcūn)
rural area
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The Chinese word 城镇 (chéngzhèn) is composed of two characters: 城 (chéng) and 镇 (zhèn). The character 城 originally meant "city wall" or "fortress", and later came to mean "city" in general. The character 镇 originally meant "to suppress" or "to pacify", and later came to mean "town" or "market town". The combination of these two characters creates the word 城镇, which refers to a town or city that is smaller than a city but larger than a village.The word 城镇 is often used in contrast to the word 农村 (nóngcūn), which means "rural area" or "countryside". 城镇化 (chéngzhènhuà), which means "urbanization", is the process of people moving from rural areas to urban areas. This process has been happening rapidly in China in recent decades, as the country's economy has grown and more and more people have moved to cities in search of jobs and better living conditions.
