縣 (xiàn) - County — an administrative division in China, smaller & also used historically for districts.

縣Tone 4

xiàn ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

万响

縣 · xiàn

County — an administrative division in China, smaller than a province or prefecture;

also used historically for districts.

County — an administrative division in China, smalleralso used historically for districts.

Usage highlights

County townCounty governmentCounty magistrateCounty levelCounty seatAutonomous county

Synonyms

  • 郡— Commandery (historical administrative division)
  • 区— District (modern urban administrative division)

Antonyms

  • 市— City (larger urban administrative division)
  • 省— Province (larger administrative division)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He works for the county government (县政府).
  • This is a county-level city (县级市).
  • Our hometown is in a small county (小县城).
  • County magistrate (县令) was an important official position in imperial China.

Collocations

  • County town(县城)
  • County government(县政府)
  • County magistrate(县令)
  • County level(县级)
  • County seat(县治)
  • Autonomous county(自治县)

Idioms

  • He who excels in study can follow an official career(学而优则仕，仕而优则学)
  • The magistrate of a hundred li(百里之县)
  • To serve as county magistrate(牧民之官)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The county system dates back to the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE) and remains China's basic administrative unit.
  • County magistrates were the lowest level of the imperial bureaucracy, responsible for tax collection, justice, and local administration.
  • The character originally depicted a head hanging upside down, representing punishment or execution, but evolved to mean administrative jurisdiction.

FAQ