中古 (zhōng gǔ) — middle antiquity (3rd–9th cent. in Chinese history); Middle Ages (European context)

Definition

Historical period term. In Chinese history, 中古 refers to the Wei–Jin through Tang eras (roughly 3rd–9th century); in European context, it means the Middle Ages.

noun
middle antiquity (3rd–9th cent. in Chinese history)Middle Ages (European context)

Examples

  • 中古。
    zhōng gǔ Shí qī de wén huà duì zhōng guó wén xué yǐng xiǎng hěn dà.
    The culture of the middle antiquity period had a great influence on Chinese literature.
  • 中古515。
    Xī fāng zhōng gǔ tōng cháng zhǐ gōng yuán 5 shì jì dào 15 shì jì.
    The Western Middle Ages usually refer to the 5th to 15th centuries AD.
  • 中古。
    Yán jiū zhōng gǔ hàn yǔ xū yào liǎo jiě dāng shí de yǔ yīn xì tǒng.
    Studying Middle Chinese requires understanding the phonetic system of that time.

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
古gǔancient

中 marks the middle period, and 古 refers to ancient times, so the term means middle antiquity.

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 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One reading of 古 sees a shield-like shape above an open mark, showing strength and firmness. Another sees a person spitting out bad-tasting food.

Open 古 →

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