之间 meaning in English
(after a noun) between; among; amid; (used after certain bisyllabic words to form expressions indicating a short period of time, e.g. 彈指之間|弹指之间[tan2 zhi3 zhi1 jian1])
Meaning of 之间
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (after a noun) between; among; amid
- (used after certain bisyllabic words to form expressions indicating a short period of time, e.g. 彈指之間|弹指之间[tan2 zhi3 zhi1 jian1])
How to use 之间
之间 comes after a noun or a pair of nouns, often in the pattern A和B之间. It covers relationships, space, and ranges of numbers or time. Example: 我们之间没有秘密。(Wǒmen zhījiān méiyǒu mìmì.) There are no secrets between us.
之 (zhī) is a classical linking word like "of," and 间 (jiān) shows 日 (sun) peeking through a 门 (door), a gap between two door panels. So 之间 is "the gap of" two things: between or among.
Common mistake: Learners often put 之间 first, like English "between," saying 之间你和我. In Chinese it always comes after: 你和我之间. Also do not confuse it with 中间 (zhōngjiān), which means "the middle" and can stand alone as a place word.
之间 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
间 jiān · between · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 之间.
| 时间 | shíjiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time |
| 房间 | fángjiān | room |
| 中间 | zhōngjiān | the middle; the inside; in the middle; within; between; among |
| 洗手间 | xǐshǒujiān | toilet; lavatory |
| 卫生间 | wèishēngjiān | bathroom; toilet |
| 民间 | mínjiān | among the people; popular |
| 之前 | zhīqián | before; prior to |
| 之后 | zhīhòu | after; behind; (at the beginning of a sentence) afterwards; since then |
| 之一 | zhīyī | one of (sth); one out of a multitude |
| 总之 | zǒngzhī | in a word; in short |
| 空间 | kōngjiān | space; room; (fig.) scope; leeway |
| 期间 | qījiān | period of time; time |
Questions about 之间
What does 之间 mean?
之间 (zhījiān) means "(after a noun) between; among; amid; (used after certain bisyllabic words to form expressions indicating a short period of time, e.g. 彈指之間|弹指之间[tan2 zhi3 zhi1 jian1])" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 之间?
之间 is made of 2 characters: 之 (3 strokes), 间 (7 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 之间 an HSK word?
Yes. 之间 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 之间 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 之间 is written 之間.
What is the difference between 之间 and 中间?
之间 must follow nouns and focuses on the relationship or range between things, as in 朋友之间 (between friends). 中间 can stand alone to mean "the middle," as in 坐在中间 (sit in the middle). For concrete positions both can work, but 之间 sounds more formal.
How do I say "between 3 and 5 o'clock" with 之间?
Use 在 + A + 到 + B + 之间: 在三点到五点之间 (zài sān diǎn dào wǔ diǎn zhījiān). The same pattern works for prices and ages, like 一百到两百块之间.