街坊

jiēfang

HSK 7

Character Breakdown

Meaning and Usage

"街坊" refers to neighbors or people living in the same neighborhood. It is commonly used in everyday conversation to talk about the people who live nearby.

Common Contexts

You will often hear "街坊" when discussing community relationships, local social interactions, or when describing the atmosphere of a neighborhood.

Collocations and Patterns

  • 街坊邻居 (neighbors in the neighborhood): emphasizes the local community.
  • 街坊聊天 (chat with neighbors): common social activity.
  • 街坊之间 (between neighbors): used to describe interactions or relationships.

Nuances

Using "街坊" implies a sense of familiarity and closeness, often highlighting friendly or cooperative relationships. It is more informal and warm compared to formal terms like "邻居" (neighbor).

Common Confusion

"街坊" can sometimes be confused with "邻居", but "街坊" often carries a more intimate or community-oriented nuance, while "邻居" is a more neutral term for neighbor.

Example Sentences

我和街坊们经常一起聊天。

Wǒ hé jiēfang men jīngcháng yīqǐ liáotiān.

I often chat together with the neighbors.

街坊邻居都很热情。

Jiēfang línjū dōu hěn rèqíng.

The neighbors in the neighborhood are all very friendly.

街坊之间互相帮助是很重要的。

Jiēfang zhī jiān hùxiāng bāngzhù shì hěn zhòngyào de.

It is very important for neighbors to help each other.