省

• Pinyin: shěng
• Hanzi breakdown: 省 = 少 (few) + 目 (eye), originally meaning 'to examine carefully'

Meaning

Province. A top-level administrative division in China.

China is divided into provinces (省), autonomous regions, municipalities, and special administrative regions. There are 23 provinces in mainland China. The word is used when referring to administrative areas and is part of many place names such as 广东省, 四川省, and 山东省.

Examples

1. 中国一共有多少个省？ How many provinces does China have in total?
2. 我的家乡在山东省。 My hometown is in Shandong Province.
3. 这个省有很多美丽的山。 This province has many beautiful mountains.

Usage Guide

Context: geography, administration, travel

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你是哪个省的？(Which province are you from?)
• 广东省在中国的南方。(Guangdong Province is in southern China.)

Don't Say

• 不要把省和市混淆 (Don't confuse 省 and 市 — 省 is a province-level administrative unit, while 市 is a city; each province contains many cities)

Origin & History

少 (shǎo, few) + 目 (mù, eye). The original meaning was 'to examine carefully with discerning eyes.' The administrative meaning of 'province' developed later.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal