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

仲 is a phono-semantic compound indicating the middle or second position in a sequence, particularly in familial birth order or seasonal months. It combines the semantic radical 亻 (rén), meaning person, with 中 (zhōng), which provides both the phonetic value and the core idea of "middle". In classical Chinese kinship,仲 specifically designated the second-born brother, following the eldest (伯) and preceding the youngest (叔). The character is also used in the lunar calendar to mark the middle month of a 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