仲

zhòng

中 + 亻

Definitions

zhòng (adjective) middle; intermediate

zhòng (adjective) second (in birth order)

Etymology

The middle 中 person 亻; 中 also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 仲 is a phono-semantic compound that indicates the middle or second item in a sequence, particularly in familial birth order or the months of a season. It consists of the semantic radical 亻 (rén, 'person') and the component 中 (zhōng, 'middle'), which provides both the phonetic value and the meaning 'intermediate'. In classical Chinese kinship, 仲 systematically referred to the second-born brother, following the eldest (伯) and preceding the youngest (叔), establishing a clear family hierarchy. The character was also applied to the traditional lunar calendar to specify the middle month of any season, such as mid-summer or mid-autumn.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

今天是仲夏之夜。

Jīntiān shì zhòngxià zhī yè.

Today is a midsummer night.

仲秋的月亮特别圆。

Zhòngqiū de yuèliàng tèbié yuán.

The moon in midautumn is especially round.

在仲冬季节天气非常寒冷。

Zài zhòngdōng jìjié tiānqì fēicháng hánlěng.

In midwinter, the weather is very cold.

仲春时节花开满园。

Zhòngchūn shíjié huā kāi mǎn yuán.

In midspring, flowers bloom all over the garden.

他是家里的仲子。

Tā shì jiāli de zhòng zǐ.

He is the second son in the family.

他们通过仲介找到了房子。

Tāmen tōngguò zhòngjiè zhǎodào le fángzi.

They found a house through an intermediary.

纠纷需要仲裁解决。

Jiūfēn xūyào zhòngcái jiějué.

The dispute needs to be resolved by arbitration.

公司聘请了仲裁员处理争议。

Gōngsī pìngǐng le zhòngcái yuán chǔlǐ zhēngyì.

The company hired an arbitrator to handle the dispute.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 中

Component: 亻

仲