dū shì
metropolis; city
这个都市很繁华。
Zhège dūshì hěn fán huá.
This city is very prosperous.
我住在都市里。
Wǒ zhù zài dūshì lǐ.
I live in the city.
都市的生活很便利。
Dūshì de shēnghuó hěn biànlì.
Life in the city is very convenient.
城市 (chéngshì)
city
都会 (dūhuì)
metropolis
乡村 (xiāngcūn)
countryside
农村 (nóngcūn)
rural area
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The Chinese word 都市 (dūshì) for "city" is composed of two characters: 都 (dū) and 市 (shì). The character 都 originally meant "capital city" or "metropolis" and was often used in ancient China to refer to the capital city of a state or empire. The character 市, on the other hand, originally meant "market" or "marketplace" and was used to refer to a place where goods were bought and sold. Over time, the two characters came to be combined to form the word 都市, which took on the meaning of "city" in general, encompassing both the political and commercial aspects of urban life.
