线

xiàn

HSK 6

线 — xiàn

1. thread; string; wire; line (physical, material)

   她用一根线把两块布缝在一起。 tā yòng yīgēn xiàn bǎ liǎngkuài bù fèng zài yìqǐ — She used a thread to sew two pieces of cloth together.

2. tier; (after a number) unofficial ranking tier of a Chinese city

   有人把北京归为一线城市，而二线城市通常指省会或经济较发达的地级市。 yǒurén bǎ běijīng guī wèi yīxiàn chéngshì ér èrxiàn chéngshì tōngcháng zhǐ shěnghuì huò jīngjì jiào fādá de dìjíshì — Some classify Beijing as a first-tier city; second-tier cities usually refer to provincial capitals or economically developed prefecture-level cities.