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中旬 (zhōng xún) — middle ten days of a month (11th to 20th)

Definition

中旬 is the middle ten days of a month (the 11th–20th). It sits between 上旬 (1st–10th) and 下旬 (21st–end); 中期 refers to a middle period of any length, not a specific third of a month.

noun
middle ten days of a month (11th to 20th)

Examples

  • 中旬。
    Xià yuè zhōng xún wǒ men kāi huì.
    We have a meeting in the middle of next month.
  • 中旬。
    Měi yuè de zhōng xún dōu fā gōng zī.
    Salary is paid in the middle of every month.
  • 中旬。
    Kǎo shì ān pái zài wǔ yuè de zhōng xún.
    The exam is scheduled for the middle of May.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

中zhōngmiddle
旬xúnten-day period

The middle specifies which ten-day period, giving the middle third of a month.

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
螾
螾yǐn旬xún
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The old form of 旬 paired 日, the sun/day, with 螾, which gave the sound.

Open 旬 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Months & Dates

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