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中用 (zhōng yòng) — useful; of use (often used in the negative)

Definition

中用 (zhōng yòng) is a stilted, semi-literary word for 'useful' — but it's heard far more often in the negative (不中用 'useless/no good'). In everyday speech, 有用 is the neutral default.

verb
usefulof use (often used in the negative)

Examples

  • 中用，。
    Zhè ge gōng jù hěn zhōng yòng, xiū chē hěn fāng biàn.
    This tool is very useful; it's convenient for repairing cars.
  • ，中用。
    Tā nián jì dà le, yuè lái yuè bù zhōng yòng le.
    He's getting old and more and more useless.
  • ，中用。
    Bié mǎi zhè ge, yì diǎn r yě bù zhōng yòng.
    Don't buy this; it's not useful at all.

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zhōngsuitable
用yònguse

中 means suitable and 用 means use, together describing something suitable for use.

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.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →
Appears in
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