How to say "this city" in Chinese
本市
běn shì
travel · travel · beginner · neutral
When To Use It
"this city" maps to 本市 (běn shì), a neutral travel phrase for travel situations.
This is useful in transit, hotels, stations, airports, and cross-city logistics where clarity matters more than style.
Practice it first exactly as written, then swap in your own people, places, or objects so it becomes part of your active speaking repertoire.
Tone And Delivery
The register is neutral, which makes it flexible: safe in most daily situations without sounding stiff or overly intimate.
Because this is marked beginner, you should aim to recognize it instantly and reuse it with your own names, nouns, locations, or numbers.
A good practice target is the example sentence 本市 (běn shì). Once that feels natural, shorten your pause and try it at conversation speed.
Practice Ideas
This phrase becomes more useful when you learn it as part of a mini-sequence. After saying it, a natural next step could be 卧铺 (wò pù).
A second nearby phrase to review is 城邦 (chéng bāng), which helps you stay in the same topic instead of translating from scratch again.
- Read the example “this city” aloud, then replace one detail with your own information.
- Pair it with “A bed (on a train)” next so your conversation does not stop after a single line.
- Match the phrase to your tone of voice: soft for polite requests, flatter and quicker for routine daily use.
- If you hear a slightly different version in the wild, compare the tone and context before treating it as interchangeable.
Examples
本市
běn shì
this city
Related
- a bed (on a train) — 卧铺 (wò pù)
- a city state (Greek polis) — 城邦 (chéng bāng)
- a narrow street (lined with walls) — 夹道 (jiā dào)
- a place set up to serve a specific function (train station, bus stop, toll plaza, bike rental station, meteorological station etc) — 站点 (zhàn diǎn)
Explore more phrases on the How to say index or try the Chinese Name Generator.
Phrase FAQ
How do you say "this city" in Chinese?
本市 (běn shì).
When should I use this phrase?
Use it in travel situations where a neutral tone fits. Because it is tagged beginner, it is meant to be practical and reusable rather than literary or highly specialized.
Is pronunciation included?
Yes. Every phrase page includes pinyin with tone marks, plus example sentences so you can hear how the wording expands in real use.
What should I learn next after this phrase?
A useful follow-up is 卧铺 (wò pù) — "a bed (on a train)". Studying connected phrases in small clusters makes them easier to recall in conversation.