中 (zhōng) means "middle, center" with 4 strokes, radical 丨 (line), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: middle
Other meanings:
- center
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone form of 中 shows a vertical shaft piercing a rectangular or oval shape in the middle, usually interpreted as a banner or military standard planted through the centre of an encampment. Some early forms include streamers fluttering from the top and bottom of the pole, reinforcing the flag reading. The core image is something passing through the exact middle of an enclosed area.
Form evolution
Bronze inscriptions keep the flag-with-streamers design but regularise it. Seal script drops the streamers and leaves a clean rectangle bisected by a vertical line, which is already close to the modern shape. Clerical script squares off the rectangle into the familiar 口 and straightens the vertical stroke, producing the four-stroke 中 of standard kaishu.
How the meaning evolved
The original concrete meaning of 'central banner' extended quickly to the abstract sense of 'middle' or 'centre' in both spatial and temporal uses. By Classical Chinese it also meant 'to hit the mark' when read in the fourth tone (zhòng), preserving the image of an arrow striking the centre. Modern Mandarin keeps both readings: zhōng for 'middle, China, within' and zhòng for 'to hit, to be struck by'.
Cultural note
中国 (Middle Kingdom) reflects the ancient worldview of China as the centre of the civilised world, a usage attested as far back as the Western Zhou bronzes. The tonal pair zhōng/zhòng trips up learners because the same graph can mean both 'middle' and 'to be struck', as in 中毒 (zhòng dú, to be poisoned).
Mnemonic
A line through the center of a box — middle
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | zhōng |
| Meanings | middle, center |
| Stroke count | 4 strokes |
| Radical | 丨 (#2: line) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2 |
| Frequency | #156 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 中
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.