tə dɪstˈɪŋɡwɪʃ ɐ pɹˈiːfɛktʃɚlˈɛvəl sˈɪɾi fɹʌm ɪts ˈæktʃuːəl ˈɜːbən ˈɛɹiə sˈɪɾi ɪnðə stɹˈɪkt sˈɛns, ðə tˈɜːm "" ʃi k; "ˈɜːbən ˈɛɹiə"ɪz jˈuːzd.
To distinguish a prefecture-level city from its actual urban area (city in the strict sense), the term "" (shì qū; "urban area") is used.