Meaning of 集中
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to concentrate
- to centralize
- to focus
- centralized
- concentrated
- to put together
How to use 集中
As a verb, 集中 takes objects like 注意力 (attention), 精力 (energy), or 人 (people). As an adjective, it describes something focused or concentrated. Example: 上课的时候要集中注意力。(Shàngkè de shíhou yào jízhōng zhùyìlì.) You need to focus your attention in class.
集 (jí) shows birds 隹 gathering on a tree 木, and 中 (zhōng) means the middle. Picture birds flocking together toward one center point: everything gathers into the middle, so you concentrate or focus.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我不能集中 alone and stop there. It sounds more natural to add what you are focusing, as in 集中精神 or 集中注意力, or to use the adjective form 注意力不集中. Also keep 集 in the second tone (jí), not the fourth tone like 记 (jì).
集中 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.
集 jí · to gather · 12 strokes
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中 zhōng · within · 4 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 集中.
| 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 集中
What does 集中 mean?
集中 (jízhōng) means "to concentrate; to centralize" and is used as a verb and adjective.
How do you write 集中?
集中 is made of 2 characters: 集 (12 strokes), 中 (4 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 集中 an HSK word?
Yes. 集中 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say 'I can't concentrate' in Chinese with 集中?
A common way is 我的注意力不集中 (wǒ de zhùyìlì bù jízhōng) or 我集中不了注意力 (wǒ jízhōng bù liǎo zhùyìlì). In casual speech people also say 我没法集中精神 (wǒ méi fǎ jízhōng jīngshén).
Can 集中 mean gathering people in one place?
Yes. 集中 can mean bringing people or things together, for example 大家八点在门口集中 (dàjiā bā diǎn zài ménkǒu jízhōng), everyone gathers at the entrance at eight. It is common in school and work notices.