钟

鍾/鐘

zhōng

中 + 钅

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

zhōng (noun) clock; bell

zhōng (noun) o'clock; time in hours and minutes

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 中 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鐘.

Semantic: 钅 Phonetic: 中

About

钟 is a phono-semantic compound combining the meaning element 钅 (a simplification of the metal radical 金) and the sound element 中. It is the simplified form of the traditional character 鐘 (金 + phonetic 童), which originally meant a large metal bell for music or timekeeping. During the simplification process, 钟 also took over the functions of another traditional character, 鍾 (金 + phonetic 重), which designated a metal wine vessel and had developed the extended meanings "to concentrate" and "to gather". As a result, 钟 today expresses both the idea of a bell or clock and the concept of gathering or concentration.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Xin dynasty (9-23 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

钟敲了三下。

Zhōng qiāo le sān xià.

The bell rang three times.

我的闹钟早上六点响。

Wǒ de nào zhōng zǎoshang liù diǎn xiǎng.

My alarm clock rings at six in the morning.

钟表店里有各种时钟。

Zhōngbiǎo diàn lǐ yǒu gè zhǒng shízhōng.

There are all kinds of clocks in the watch shop.

他对音乐情有独钟。

Tā duì yīnyuè qíng yǒu dú zhōng.

He has a special fondness for music.

这座钟楼是城市的标志。

Zhè zuò zhōnglóu shì chéngshì de biāozhì.

This clock tower is a landmark of the city.

钟声在夜空中回荡。

Zhōng shēng zài yèkōng zhōng huídàng.

The sound of the bell echoed in the night sky.

钟灵毓秀之地，人才辈出。

Zhōng líng yù xiù zhī dì, réncái bèi chū.

This picturesque place blessed with talent has produced many outstanding people.

他们家族曾过着钟鸣鼎食的生活。

Tāmen jiāzú céng guòzhe zhōng míng dǐng shí de shēnghuó.

Their family once lived an extravagant life of luxury.

Related Characters

Component: 中

Component: 钅

钟