The formation of "之中" is a direct conceptual and visual fusion of its two components: the character 之, which in its ancient pictographic form depicted a foot leaving a starting point, evolved to represent movement away from or toward something, thus abstractly indicating relationship or position; and the character 中, which is a pictogram of a line or flagpole piercing the exact center of a box or boundary, unequivocally meaning "center" or "within". When combined, they create a single unit where the relational "of" or "from" quality of 之 frames and directs the core concept of 中, visually and notionally constructing the idea of being "inside of" or "amidst" a defined scope or set.