Meaning of 城乡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- city and countryside
How to use 城乡
城乡 is a formal word you will see in news, policy and economics, often in set phrases like 城乡差距 (urban-rural gap) or 城乡发展 (urban and rural development). Example: 政府想缩小城乡差距。(Zhèngfǔ xiǎng suōxiǎo chéngxiāng chājù.) The government wants to narrow the gap between city and countryside.
Picture a walled 城 (chéng) city next to a quiet 乡 (xiāng) village. Put the two together and 城乡 covers both sides of the map: city and countryside.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say 乡城, but the order is always 城乡, city first. Also keep the first tone in 乡 (xiāng) level and high, and do not confuse it with 香 (xiāng, fragrant), which sounds the same but means something else.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
城 chéng · city walls · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
乡 xiāng · country or countryside · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 城乡.
| 城市 | chéngshì | city; town |
| 家乡 | jiāxiāng | hometown; native place |
| 故乡 | gùxiāng | home; homeland |
| 长城 | Chángchéng | the Great Wall |
| 城里 | chénglǐ | |
| 乡村 | xiāngcūn | rustic; village |
| 城镇 | chéngzhèn | town; cities and towns |
| 老乡 | lǎoxiāng | fellow townsman; fellow villager; sb from the same hometown |
| 城区 | chéngqū | city district; urban area |
| 商城 | shāngchéng | shopping center; department store |
| 乡下 | xiāngxia | countryside; rural area |
| 城墙 | chéngqiáng | city wall |
Questions about 城乡
What does 城乡 mean?
城乡 (chéng xiāng) means "city and countryside".
How do you write 城乡?
城乡 is made of 2 characters: 城 (9 strokes), 乡 (3 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 城乡 an HSK word?
Yes. 城乡 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 城乡 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 城乡 is written 城鄉.
Can I use 城乡 to say I live in the countryside?
Not really. 城乡 talks about city and countryside as a pair, usually in a general or official sense. To say where you live, use 农村 (nóngcūn) or 乡下 (xiāngxia), for example 我住在乡下。
Does 城 only mean a big city?
城 originally refers to a city wall, which is why it appears in 长城 (Chángchéng), the Great Wall. Today it means a city or town in general, as in 城市 (chéngshì) and 城里 (chénglǐ, in town).