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个中 (gè zhōng) — (formal/literary) therein; in that (matter, circumstance)

Definition

个中 (gè zhōng) is a formal, written-literary word meaning 'therein / in that' — used in essays to point to something just mentioned, never in everyday speech.

adjective
(formal/literary) thereinin that (matter, circumstance)

Examples

  • 个中。
    Zhǐ yǒu jīng lì guò de rén cái míng bai gè zhōng zī wèi.
    Only those who have experienced it understand the flavor thereof.
  • 个中。
    gè zhōng Yuán yīn zhǐ yǒu tā zì jǐ zhī dào.
    The reasons therein are known only to himself.
  • 个中。
    Wǒ men hěn nán liǎo jiě gè zhōng ào miào.
    It's hard for us to grasp the mystery therein.

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.

个gèthis
中zhōnginside

个 (this) + 中 (inside) gives 'in this matter'.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 個; 个 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
固
固gù個ge
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 个, the form 個 pairs 亻 (person) with 固 as a sound part.

Open 个 →

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 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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