重中之重 (zhòng zhōng zhī zhòng) — of the utmost importance; the highest priority

Definition

A set phrase for 'the top priority' — emphasizes ranking (the most important among many). Slightly more formal than 至关重要 and more weighty than 当务之急, which adds a sense of urgency.

phrase

of the utmost importancethe highest priority

Examples

重中之重，。
Ān quán wèn tí shì zhòng zhōng zhī zhòng, bù néng hū shì.
Safety is of the utmost importance and cannot be ignored.
重中之重。
Gōng sī jīn nián de zhòng zhōng zhī zhòng shì tí gāo chǎn pǐn zhì liàng.
The company's top priority this year is to improve product quality.
，重中之重。
Duì zhèng fǔ lái shuō, mín shēng wèn tí yì zhí shì zhòng zhōng zhī zhòng.
For the government, livelihood issues have always been of utmost importance.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

人人rénman

Sound part声符shēngfú

東

東dōng重zhòng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →

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.

止止zhǐfoot
一一yīthe beginning place

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →