Definitions

zhòng (adjective) middle; intermediate
zhòng (adjective) second (in birth order)

Etymology

The middle  person  also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 仲 is formed by combining the person radical 亻 with the component 中, meaning middle, which phonetically and conceptually informs its sense of central positioning within a human context. Originally, it served specifically to indicate the second-born son in the traditional sequence of brothers, a usage rooted in classical kinship systems. Over centuries, its application broadened from this familial designation to describe any intermediate or mediating role, such as in seasonal terms like midsummer or in contexts of arbitration, thereby generalizing the idea of being between two points or parties while maintaining its fundamental link to human relationships through its semantic radical.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

今天是夏之夜。

Jīntiān shì zhòngxià zhī yè.

Today is a midsummer night.

秋的月亮特别圆。

Zhòngqiū de yuèliàng tèbié yuán.

The moon in midautumn is especially round.

冬季节天气非常寒冷。

Zài zhòngdōng jìjié tiānqì fēicháng hánlěng.

In midwinter, the weather is very cold.

春时节花开满园。

Zhòngchūn shíjié huā kāi mǎn yuán.

In midspring, flowers bloom all over the garden.

他是家里的子。

Tā shì jiāli de zhòng zǐ.

He is the second son in the family.

他们通过介找到了房子。

Tāmen tōngguò zhòngjiè zhǎodào le fángzi.

They found a house through an intermediary.

纠纷需要裁解决。

Jiūfēn xūyào zhòngcái jiějué.

The dispute needs to be resolved by arbitration.

公司聘请了裁员处理争议。

Gōngsī pìngǐng le zhòngcái yuán chǔlǐ zhēngyì.

The company hired an arbitrator to handle the dispute.