Meaning of 之中
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- inside
- among
- in the midst of (doing sth)
- during
How to use 之中
之中 comes after a noun or phrase and marks a range or a process, much like 中 or 里 but more formal and written. It often appears as 在……之中 for "among" or "in the middle of doing". Example: 我们之中只有他会说法语。(Wǒmen zhīzhōng zhǐyǒu tā huì shuō Fǎyǔ.) Among us, only he can speak French.
之 (zhī) works like an old-style 的, and 中 (zhōng) is a box with a line straight through its center. Together 之中 means "in the middle of" something, like a line running right through a group.
Common mistake: Learners put 之中 before the noun, as in English "among us". It always comes after: 学生之中 (xuésheng zhīzhōng), never 之中学生. Also keep 中 in the first tone here, not the fourth-tone zhòng used in 中奖 (zhòngjiǎng).
之中 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
之 zhī · possessive particle · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
中 zhōng · within · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 之中.
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | China |
| 中间 | zhōngjiān | the middle; the inside; in the middle; within; between; among |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | noon; midday |
| 中学 | zhōngxué | middle school |
| 中文 | Zhōngwén | Chinese language |
| 中学生 | zhōngxuéshēng | middle-school student; high school student |
| 其中 | qízhōng | among; in |
| 中心 | zhōngxīn | center; heart; core |
| 高中 | gāozhōng | senior high school (abbr. for 高級中學|高级中学[gao1 ji2 zhong1 xue2]) |
| 心中 | xīnzhōng | central point; in one's thoughts |
| 中年 | zhōngnián | middle age |
| 中餐 | zhōngcān | lunch; Chinese meal; Chinese food |
Questions about 之中
What does 之中 mean?
之中 (zhīzhōng) means "inside; among" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 之中?
之中 is made of 2 characters: 之 (3 strokes), 中 (4 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 之中 an HSK word?
Yes. 之中 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 之中 and 中间?
中间 (zhōngjiān) can refer to a physical middle point, as in 桌子中间 (the middle of the table). 之中 is more abstract and formal. It usually means "among" a group or "in the course of" an event, such as 变化之中 (in the midst of change).
Can I just use 中 instead of 之中?
Often yes. 在讨论中 and 在讨论之中 both mean "under discussion". Adding 之 gives an extra syllable that sounds more formal and balanced, so 之中 is common in writing, speeches, and news.