市民
这座城市的市民都非常支持环保政策。
The citizens of this city all strongly support environmental policies.
A person who lives in a particular city or town and has certain rights and responsibilities as a member of that community.
市民们积极参与社区活动。
The citizens actively participate in community activities.
市民投票决定了新的市长人选。
The citizens voted to decide the new mayor.
In Chinese, '市民' specifically refers to residents of cities (市), not towns or rural areas. For rural residents, '村民' (villager) is used.
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Distinguishing '市民' vs '公民'
'市民' focuses on where a person lives (urban area), while '公民' emphasizes legal status (regardless of location). A foreigner living in a Chinese city would be a '市民' but not a '公民'.
Gold Rule
Urban vs. Rural Context
Always use '市民' for city residents and '村民' for rural residents. Never use '市民' to refer to farmers or villagers.
Word Origin
Composed of '市' (city) + '民' (people), first appearing in classical Chinese texts to denote city-dwellers as distinct from rural farmers.
Usage Notes
While '市民' and '公民' both mean 'citizen', '市民' emphasizes residency in a city, while '公民' emphasizes legal citizenship status. '居民' is more general and can refer to residents of any area.