重 (zhòng/chóng) means "heavy, to repeat, layer" with HSK 3 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
重 has 2 readings. Context (the surrounding word and part of speech) determines which reading applies.
Meaning
Primary: heavy
Other meanings:
- to repeat
- layer
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
重 appears in bronze inscriptions as a figure of a person (人) carrying a heavy bundle or bag, often analyzed as 人 above 東 (a bundle tied at both ends) with 土 beneath. The original graph depicted the physical act of bearing a load, giving the core meaning 'heavy'. Some scholars read the 東 element as phonetic rather than purely pictographic.
Form evolution
Bronze forms show a clear human figure bent under a load. In seal script the components were stylized and the human element became less recognizable, merging into the upper strokes. Clerical script flattened and regularized the whole graph into the compact modern shape, where the original person-carrying-bundle image is no longer visible without historical knowledge.
How the meaning evolved
From the concrete sense 'heavy' (zhòng) the character extended to 'weighty, important, serious' as in 重要 and 严重. A second reading chóng developed meaning 'to repeat, again, layered', as in 重复 (to repeat) and 重阳 (Double Ninth Festival), likely from the idea of one heavy thing stacked on another. The two readings are fully distinguished in modern Mandarin and must be learned separately.
Cultural note
The Double Ninth Festival 重阳节 on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month uses the chóng reading because nine is doubled. Learners often read 重 as zhòng by default and get tripped up by 重新 (chóngxīn, anew) or 重庆 (Chóngqìng, the city).
Basic info
Example sentences
Words containing 重
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important | HSK 3 |
| 重新 | chóngxīn | again | HSK 4 |
| 严重 | yánzhòng | serious | HSK 4 |
| 重 | zhòng | heavy | HSK 4 |
| 重点 | zhòngdiǎn | A key | HSK 4 |
| 重视 | zhòngshì | importance, attach importance to | HSK 4 |
| 尊重 | zūnzhòng | respect | HSK 4 |
| 重复 | chóngfù | repeat | HSK 5 |
| 重大 | zhòngdà | significant | HSK 5 |
| 重量 | zhòngliàng | weight | HSK 5 |
| 保重 | bǎozhòng | to take care of oneself | HSK 7-9 |
| 比重 | bǐzhòng | proportion, specific gravity | HSK 6 |
| 并重 | bìngzhòng | lay equal stress on | |
| 侧重 | cèzhòng | to emphasize, to stress | HSK 7-9 |
| 沉重 | chénzhòng | heavy, serious | HSK 6 |
| 重叠 | chóngdié | to overlap, to pile up | HSK 7-9 |
| 繁重 | fánzhòng | heavy, arduous | HSK 7-9 |
On the new HSK 3 exam
Studying for HSK 3? Keep 重 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.