仲 (zhòng) — second (in birth order, especially among brothers); mid-; intermediate (in seasonal terms)
Definition
Classical bound form used only in set compounds: 仲夏/仲秋/仲冬 ('midsummer / mid-autumn / midwinter') and the old birth-order sense 'second' (e.g. 仲裁, 仲兄). Standalone use is rare — always appears as a prefix.
bound form
second (in birth order, especially among brothers)mid-intermediate (in seasonal terms)
Examples
- 、仲、、。Xiōng dì sì rén àn zhào bó, zhòng, shū, jì de shùn xù qǔ míng.The four brothers are named according to the order: eldest, second, third, and youngest.
- ，。Yí dào zhòng xià, tiān qì jiù biàn de hěn rè.As soon as midsummer arrives, the weather gets very hot.
- 仲。zhòng Qiū shì shǎng yuè de hǎo shí jié.Mid-autumn is a good season for moon viewing.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
In 仲, the left part is 亻, a person, and the right part is 中, used for its sound.
Appears in
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