The Chinese morphemes chéng (城) and shì (市) represent distinct concepts. Historically in China, these terms carried different meanings. In ancient times, chéng referred to a walled enclosure—a spatial construct built for military defense against invasions. In contrast, shì denoted a marketplace, serving as a concrete physical space for commodity exchange. The modern Chinese term chéngshì (城市, city) combines chéng (城, city walls) and shì (市, market). However, this conceptual integration did not emerge immediately in ancient times.