仲 (zhòng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

仲

zhòng[zhong4]Tone 4

middle, intermediate, second among brothers

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · middle, intermediate, second among brothers

Cached lesson

雙生字Twin Character Traps (雙生字)

View in Twin Characters

Often confused with 伸 (shēn) — 伸 contains 申 where 仲 contains 中 — 申 has one extra horizontal stroke inside the box.
伸 vs 仲 Drill this pair

11. Meaning

middle or intermediate, specifically the second among brothers or the second month of a season

surname Zhonginterim or second rank

Noun / Proper Noun / AdjectiveFormal / LiteraryBound morpheme#order#family#time

Logic Map — how this character is really built

亻the Personleft
中the Target Flagstaffright

Standing right in the center of human society, the Person （亻） watches the Target Flagstaff （中） guide the pronunciation zhòng. This figure represents the middle-born child or the second brother in a family lineage! Thus, the character captures the exact meaning of middle or second.

Sound part: 中 (zhòng) → gives the exact reading zhòng.

Sample Usage

仲夏
zhòngxià
midsummer
仲裁
zhòngcái
arbitration

22. Sound

/[tʂʊŋ˥˩]/Tone: 51

仲

zhòngzhong4

`(51)

=zhòng

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

zhong

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Sounds approximately like:“jr-oong”Close approximationTone pitch cue:sharp fall, like a command

Key difference: zh is unaspirated retroflex affricate [ʈʂ]; rhymes with 'book' ending in -ng.

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Retroflex

Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate

Final Rhyme

ong

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: ong rhymes with rung

Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'zh-' (jr) with final '-ong' (oong).

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, exactly like shouting a sharp command or saying a firm 'Down!'

👂

Listening trap: Mistaking Tone 4 (-òng) for Tone 1 (-ōng) or Tone 3 (-ǒng). Ensure the pitch drops decisively from high to low rather than staying level or dipping.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, authoritative downward chop in the air, mirroring a stern 'No!' or a definitive closing statement.

33. Writing6 strokes · animate & practice

1 / 1

Topology:Left-right

Strokes:6 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (亻) should be narrower and slightly elevated, while the right component (中) serves as the main vertical anchor, keeping its central vertical stroke straight and balanced.

44. Components

Radical 亻 · Person Radical (human, person)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 亻 (indicates human relations, specifically ranking among brothers or people)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 中 (original sound: zhōng)

A person (亻) standing right in the middle (中) of a group represents the second born or the middle child among brothers.

亻person
中middle

55. HistoryCombined from the person radical (亻) representing individuals and (中) represe...

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the person radical (亻) representing individuals and (中) representing the center or middle, originally denoting the second son in the patriarchal birth order.

Semantic Evolution: Expanded from familial birth order (the middle brother) to temporal designations (the middle month of a season) and general concepts of arbitration or mediation.

In ancient Chinese naming conventions, brothers were traditionally ranked using伯 (bó - eldest), 仲 (zhòng - second), 叔 (shū - third), and 季 (jì - youngest).

66. SinosphereSino-Vietnamese trọng · Kanji (Japanese) チュウ (chuu) · Hanja (Korean) 중

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

trọng

The Chinese Tone 4 corresponds roughly to the Vietnamese nặng (heavy) tone or sắc tone depending on historical entering tones, delivering a sharp downward cut.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: チュウ (chuu)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

중

Sound Shift Bridge: Mandarin zh- frequently maps to initial tr- or ch- in Sino-Xenic readings.

77. Memory

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

种(zhǒng)

种 uses the grain radical (禾) on the left for seeds and types, while 仲 uses the person radical (亻) for people and rankings.

忠(zhōng)

忠 has the heart radical (心) at the bottom, signifying loyalty from the heart.

88. Mastery他是家里三个兄弟里的[___]子。

Active Recall Challenge

他是家里三个兄弟里的[___]子。

Clue: zhòng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 仲 (zhòng - second/middle) with 重 (zhòng - heavy), as they share the same pinyin syllable and tone but have completely different radicals and meanings.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 仲 with a person radical and the middle component, what does it signify regarding family or order?

Production: How do you write the character for the 'second brother' or 'mid-season', pronounced zhòng with Tone 4?

🎬 Videos12 clips · real-world usage

仲zhòngmiddle, intermediate, second among brothers

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