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中间 (zhōng jiān) — the middle, the center; between, among; during, in the middle of (a time period)

Definition

中间 (zhōngjiān) is the everyday word for 'the middle' of a space, between two things, or during a time. It's more physical and concrete than 中 (used in 在…中 patterns) and takes no noun after it; between two specific items, the learner can also meet 之间.

noun
the middlethe centerbetweenamongduringin the middle of (a time period)

Examples

  • 中间。
    Gōng yuán de zhōng jiān yǒu yí gè hú.
    There is a lake in the middle of the park.
  • 中间。
    Zhè liǎng zuò lóu zhōng jiān yǒu yí gè huā yuán.
    There is a garden between these two buildings.
  • 中间。
    Huì yì zhōng jiān tā chū qù le.
    He went out during the meeting.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

中zhōngmiddle
间jiānspace

中 and 间 both refer to the center or the space between, so the word means the middle or among.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 间 →

Grammar

Appears in
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