Meaning of 其中
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- among
- in
- included among these
How to use 其中
其中 points back to a group just mentioned and picks out part of it, so it usually starts the second clause of a sentence. Example: 我有三个朋友，其中一个是老师。(Wǒ yǒu sān ge péngyou, qízhōng yí ge shì lǎoshī.) I have three friends, and one of them is a teacher.
其 (qí) means "its" or "that," and 中 (zhōng) means "middle," so 其中 is literally "the middle of it." Picture reaching into a group and pulling out one item from the middle.
Common mistake: Learners often put 其中 after a noun, as in 学生其中, the way English says "among the students." In that case use 学生中 or 学生之中. 其中 itself should come after the group has already been mentioned.
其中 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.
其 qí · his · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
中 zhōng · within · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 其中.
| 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 |
| 其他 | qítā | other; (sth or sb) else |
| 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 其中
What does 其中 mean?
其中 (qízhōng) means "among; in" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 其中?
其中 is made of 2 characters: 其 (8 strokes), 中 (4 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 其中 an HSK word?
Yes. 其中 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 其中 and 中间?
中间 (zhōngjiān) usually describes physical position, like the middle of a room or between two things. 其中 refers back to a group or set already mentioned and singles out members of it. You would say 其中两个人 (two of them), not 中间两个人, for that meaning.
Can 其中 be used at the end of a sentence?
Yes, in set phrases like 乐在其中 (lè zài qízhōng), meaning to find joy in something, or 包括在其中, meaning included in it. In everyday speech, though, it most often comes at the start of a clause followed by a number or noun.