verb HSK 4
zhù
to reside · to live · to dwell

Meaning

居住 is a formal verb meaning to live or reside in a place. It emphasizes the act of making a place one's home or dwelling for an extended period. It's more formal than the common word 住 (zhù) and is often used in written language, official documents, and formal speech.

Usage

居住 is commonly used in formal contexts, government documents, surveys, and written Chinese. In everyday conversation, people typically use the simpler 住 instead. It often appears with location words and in the pattern 居住在... (to reside in/at...). Frequently used when discussing living conditions, residential areas, or asking about someone's place of residence formally.

Examples

  1. 01
    居住在上海已经十年了。
    zhù zài Shànghǎi yǐjīng shí nián le.
    He has been residing in Shanghai for ten years already.
  2. 02
    这个小区的居住环境非常好。
    Zhège xiǎoqū de zhù huán jìng fēicháng hǎo.
    The living environment of this residential area is very good.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 居住
    zhù
    place of residence
  • 居住环境
    zhù huán jìng
    living environment
  • 居住
    zhù zhèng
    residence permit
  • 居住
    zhù zài
    to reside in/at

Antonyms

Origin

Both characters relate to dwelling: 居 originally depicted a person sitting/crouching in a dwelling, while 住 combines the person radical with 主 (master), suggesting a person settled as master of a place.

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