中小 (zhōng xiǎo) — small and medium-sized (attributive)

Definition

An attributive adjective used almost only in fixed terms like 中小企业 ('SMEs') and 中小城市, referring to small and medium-sized entities together as one category. Never used predicatively (not '这个企业很中小').

adjective
small and medium-sized (attributive)

Examples

  • 中小。
    Zhèng fǔ wèi zhōng xiǎo qǐ yè tí gōng le hěn duō yōu huì zhèng cè.
    The government provides many preferential policies for small and medium-sized enterprises.
  • 中小。
    Zhè zuò zhōng xiǎo chéng shì de jīng jì fā zhǎn hěn kuài.
    This small and medium-sized city's economy is developing very quickly.
  • 中小。
    zhōng xiǎo Yín háng zài bāng zhù běn dì qǐ yè fāng miàn fā huī le zhòng yào zuò yòng.
    Small and medium-sized banks have played an important role in helping local enterprises.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

中zhōngmiddle-sized
小xiǎosmall

中 means middle-sized and 小 means small, so they name two sizes together.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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