直轄市 zhí xiá shì

DEFINITIONS

  1. municipality, namely: Beijing 北京, Tianjin 天津, Shanghai 上海 and Chongqing 重慶|重庆, the first level administrative subdivision
  2. province level city
  3. also called directly governed city

CHARACTERS

直 zhí straight, erect, vertical
轄 xiá linchpin of wheel; control
市 shì market, fair; city, town; trade