Definition
州 (zhōu) refers to a sub-national administrative division, such as a US state, Swiss canton, or Russian oblast. It differs from 省 (shěng) 'province', which is the standard term for China's main administrative regions. In historical Chinese contexts, 州 was an ancient prefecture, while 省 is the modern province.
noun
(historical) prefecture or province in imperial Chinastate (of the US)oblast (of Russia)canton (of Switzerland)
Easily confused
- 周zhōusound-alike(noun) week
- 皱zhòusound-alike(verb) to wrinkle, to crease
- 粥zhōusound-alikecongee (rice porridge)
Examples
- 。Jiālìfúníyà zhōu zài Měiguó xī hǎi'àn.California is on the west coast of the United States.
- ，州。Zhōngguó gǔdài yǒu jiǔ zhōu, měi ge zhōu dōu yǒu zìjǐ de wénhuà.Ancient China had nine prefectures, and each prefecture had its own culture.
- 州。Ruìshì yóu èrshíliù ge zhōu zǔchéng.Switzerland is made up of twenty-six cantons.
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