xiàn

county

HSK 5

Character Breakdown

Understanding '' (xiàn)

'' refers to a county-level administrative division in China, positioned below a prefecture or directly governed city, and above a township. It is a common term in discussions about geography, governance, and demographics.

Usage in Context

You will often see '' used when talking about population, local government, or locations within China. For example, '政府' (county government) is a frequent collocation.

Common Collocations

  • 政府: county government, used when referring to local administrative authorities.
  • : county town, the main urban area within a county.
  • 人口: county population, used in demographic contexts.

Tips

When using '', remember it specifically denotes an administrative level, so it is not interchangeable with '' (city) or '' (township). Avoid confusing it with '' which is a higher-level division. Also, '' is often paired with other words to specify government or location-related topics.

Example Sentences

这个县的人口有五十万。

Zhège xiàn de rénkǒu yǒu wǔshí wàn.

This county has a population of 500,000.

县政府正在改善当地的基础设施。

Xiàn zhèngfǔ zhèngzài gǎishàn dāngdì de jīchǔ shèshī.

The county government is improving the local infrastructure.

他来自一个偏远的县城。

Tā láizì yīgè piānyuǎn de xiànchéng.

He comes from a remote county town.