仲 (zhòng) - Middle & intermediate

仲Tone 4

zhòng ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 亻

志

仲 · zhòng

Middle;

intermediate;

second (in order or rank);

used in names to denote the second-born child.

Middleintermediatesecond (in order or rank)

Usage highlights

Second brotherMidArbitrationSecond month of a seasonSecond sonZhongni

Synonyms

  • 中— middle, center
  • 次— second, next
  • 中间— intermediate, middle

Antonyms

  • 伯— first-born, eldest
  • 季— youngest, last-born
  • 首— first, head

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He is the second son in the family (仲子).
  • The mid-autumn season is called Zhongqiu (仲秋).
  • This is an intermediate-level course (仲级课程).
  • They are mediating a dispute (仲裁 dispute).

Collocations

  • Second brother(仲兄)
  • Mid-autumn(仲秋)
  • Arbitration(仲裁)
  • Second month of a season(仲月)
  • Second son(仲子)
  • Zhongni (Confucius)(仲尼)

Idioms

  • To act as a mediator(伯仲之间)
  • Indistinguishable, equally matched(不相伯仲)
  • The dispute between two brothers(兄弟阋墙，仲尼调解)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese family structure, 仲 denotes the second-born child, especially sons (伯 for first, 仲 for second, 叔 for third, 季 for fourth).
  • Confucius' courtesy name was Zhongni (仲尼), giving the character scholarly and respectful connotations.
  • Used in seasonal divisions to mark the middle month of each season (孟 for first, 仲 for middle, 季 for last).

FAQ