Meaning of 钟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- a (large) bell (CL:架[jia4])
- clock (CL:座[zuo4])
- amount of time; o'clock (CL:點|点[dian3],分[fen1],秒[miao3]) (as in 三點鐘|三点钟[san1 dian3 zhong1] "three o'clock" or "three hours" or 五分鐘|五分钟[wu3 fen1 zhong1] "five minutes" etc)
- handleless cup; goblet
- (bound form) to concentrate (one's affection etc)
- variant of 鐘|钟[zhong1]
- surname Zhong
How to use 钟
钟 means a bell or a clock, and it often follows numbers to mark time, as in 三点钟 (sān diǎn zhōng, three o'clock) or 五分钟 (wǔ fēnzhōng, five minutes). Example: 我等了你十分钟。 (Wǒ děng le nǐ shí fēnzhōng.) I waited for you for ten minutes.
钟 is made of 钅 (metal) on the left and 中 (zhōng, middle) on the right, which also gives the sound. Picture a metal bell hanging in the middle of a town square, ringing out the hours.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 钟 with 种 (zhǒng, kind; zhòng, to plant), which has 禾 (grain) instead of 钅 (metal) on the left. Remember that clocks and bells are metal, and seeds grow from grain.
钟 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.
钟 zhōng · a bell · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 钟.
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute |
| 闹钟 | nàozhōng | alarm clock |
| 钟头 | zhōngtóu | (coll.) hour |
| 警钟 | jǐngzhōng | alarm bell |
| 点钟 | diǎnzhōng | (indicating time of day) o'clock |
| 秒钟 | miǎozhōng | (time) second |
| 钟声 | zhōngshēng | the sound of a bell |
| 时钟 | shízhōng | clock |
| 一见钟情 | yījiànzhōngqíng | to fall in love at first sight (idiom) |
| 钟爱 | zhōng'ài | to treasure; to be very fond of |
| 钟表 | zhōngbiǎo | clock |
| 金钟 | jīnzhōng | Admiralty, Hong Kong |
Questions about 钟
What does 钟 mean?
钟 (zhōng) means "a (large) bell (CL:架[jia4]); clock (CL:座[zuo4])" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 钟?
钟 is made of 1 character: 钟 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 钟 an HSK word?
Yes. 钟 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 钟 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 钟 is written 鐘.
What is the difference between 钟 and 表?
钟 (zhōng) usually means a clock on a wall or table, or a bell. 表 (biǎo) usually means a watch you wear on your wrist, as in 手表 (shǒubiǎo).
Is 三点钟 the same as 三点?
Yes, both mean three o'clock. 钟 is optional and is often dropped in casual speech, so 我三点到 (wǒ sān diǎn dào) is perfectly natural.