中

中

Unicode: U+4E2D

Pinyin: zhòng zhōng

Definition

zhōng:* 和四方、上下或两端距离同等的地位。 ～心。当（ dàng ）～。～原。～华。 * 在一定范围内，里面。 暗～。房～。～饱。 * 性质或等级在两端之间的。 ～辍（中途停止进行）。～等。～流砥柱。 * 表示动作正在进行。 在研究～。 * 特指"中国" ～式。～文。 * 适于，合于。 ～看。 zhòng:* 恰好合上。 ～选。～奖。～意（会意，满意）。 * 受到，遭受。 ～毒。～计。 * 科举考试被录取。 ～举。～状元

central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain

Structure

中 graph

Related substructures

qruPqxfj

Precursors

Oracle Bone Script
c. 1300–1050 BCE (Late Shang)
Inscriptions carved on turtle plastrons and animal bones for divination and record-keeping in the late Shang royal court; the oldest large attested corpus of written Chinese.Wikipedia ->
41_E25141_E25241_E25341_E25441_E25541_E25641_E25741_E25841_E25941_E25A41_E25B41_E25C41_E25D41_E25E41_E25F41_E26041_E26141_E26241_E26341_E26441_E26541_E26641_E26741_E26841_E26941_E26A41_E26B41_E26C41_E26D41_E26E41_E26F41_E27041_E271
Bronze Inscriptions
c. 1200–221 BCE (Shang–Zhou; continues into the Warring States)
Inscriptions cast or engraved on ritual bronzes, especially prominent from the Western Zhou onward; a major source for early political, ritual, and social history.Wikipedia ->
31_E26331_E28931_E26431_E28431_E28531_E28F31_E26531_E28831_E29031_E29131_E26731_E29231_E26931_E26831_E26E31_E26631_E26A31_E26D31_E26B31_E27231_E27031_E26F31_E28631_E27931_E27A31_E27731_E27631_E27331_E28731_E27C31_E27131_E26C31_E27531_E27431_E27831_E27B31_E27E31_E28031_E28131_E27F31_E27D31_E28331_E28B31_E28C31_E28D31_E28E31_E28A34_F5AB31_E28231_E2A531_E29331_E29531_E29431_E29731_E29631_E29A31_E29B31_E29E31_E29F31_E29831_E29931_E29C31_E2A331_E2A431_E29D31_E2A031_E2A131_E2A631_E2A231_E2A731_E2A8
Chu Script
c. 770–221 BCE (Chu, Spring & Autumn–Warring States)
A regional script tradition used in the state of Chu, best known from brush-written bamboo and silk manuscripts with distinctive local forms.Wikipedia ->
51_E37D51_E37B51_E37C51_E37251_E37351_E37451_E37551_E37751_E37651_E37851_E37951_E37A51_E37F51_E38051_E37E51_E38151_E38251_E38355_E39855_E3A955_E3AB55_E3AA55_E3A655_E3A755_E3A855_E3AE55_E39455_E39555_E3A555_E3AC55_E39955_E39655_E39755_E3A255_E39B55_E39C55_E39A55_E3AD55_E3A355_E39D55_E39F55_E39E55_E3A055_E3A155_E3A451_E3A551_E3A651_E3A751_E3A851_E3A951_E38451_E38551_E38651_E38751_E38851_E38951_E38C51_E38D51_E38E51_E38F51_E39051_E39351_E39751_E39951_E39A51_E39451_E39551_E39651_E39851_E39251_E39151_E3A051_E3A351_E39C51_E39D55_E3B055_E3B255_E3B155_E3B355_E3B555_E3B455_E3B855_E3AF55_E3B655_E3B755_E3B9
Qin Script
c. 475–206 BCE (Qin, Warring States → Qin dynasty)
Qin-area character forms attested on bamboo/wood slips (e.g., Shuihudi, deposited 217 BCE), overlapping chronologically with the standardization of seal script and the emergence of clerical tendencies.Wikipedia ->
71_E04A71_E04B71_E04C
Small Seal Script
Standardized 221–206 BCE (Qin); developed earlier in Qin
The standardized seal script promulgated after Qin’s unification, based on earlier Qin seal forms and used as an empire-wide norm.Wikipedia ->
27_4E2D27_F35F27_F2E7
Clerical Script
c. 300 BCE–220 CE (emerged late Warring States/Qin; dominant Han)
A practical script that evolved from late Warring States/Qin writing; it matured and became dominant in the Han dynasty, favoring faster, more rectilinear strokes.Wikipedia ->
91_E27191_E27291_E27391_E27491_E27691_E27791_E27891_E27991_E27A91_E27591_E27B91_E27C71_E04A71_E04B71_E04C91_E26A91_E26B91_E26C91_E26D91_E26E91_E26F91_E270
Transmitted Pre-Qin Forms
Pre-Qin forms (≤221 BCE) / late 2nd century BCE onward (Han → later textual transmission)
Pre-Qin character forms preserved through later textual transmission (often discussed as the 'Old Text' / guwen tradition). Shaped by repeated copying, they can diverge from excavated Warring States materials.Wikipedia ->
81_E31C81_E31D81_E31E81_E31F81_E32081_E32181_E32281_E32381_E32481_E32581_E32681_E32781_E32881_E32981_E32A81_E32B81_E32C81_E32D81_E32E81_E32F81_E33081_E33181_E332

Last Modified: 2026-01-29 11:48 UTC