Skip to content
Chinese Copilot

中间zhōng jiānthe middle; the inside

HSK 3word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

中间 (zhōng jiān) means "the middle," "between," or "among," and it can also mean "during" a period of time. It often follows a noun or a pair of nouns, as in 我和他中间 (between him and me), to say where something is or when something happens.

What does 中间 mean?

  1. 1.

    the middle; the insidenoun

  2. 2.

    in the middle; within; between; amongnoun

  3. 3.

    during; in the meantimenoun

What do the characters in 中间 mean?

  • 中middle; center
  • 间between

How do you use 中间?

中间 often follows one noun or two nouns joined by 和 to say where something is.

What are some examples of 中间 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 3

    桌子在两张床中间。

    Zhuōzi zài liǎng zhāng chuáng zhōngjiān.

    The table is between the two beds.

  2. HSK 3

    照片中间的人是我爸爸。

    Zhàopiàn zhōngjiān de rén shì wǒ bàba.

    The person in the middle of the photo is my dad.

  3. HSK 3

    电影中间他出去了一次。

    Diànyǐng zhōngjiān tā chūqùle yí cì.

    He went out once during the movie.

How is 中间 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你家在哪儿？

    Nǐ jiā zài nǎr?

    Where is your home?

  2. Speaker B:

    在学校和公园中间。

    Zài xuéxiào hé gōngyuán zhōngjiān.

    Between the school and the park.

  3. Speaker A:

    那离我家很近。

    Nà lí wǒ jiā hěn jìn.

    That's very close to my home.

  4. Speaker B:

    对，有空来我家玩儿吧。

    Duì, yǒu kòng lái wǒ jiā wánr ba.

    Yes, come over to my place when you're free.

What should you learn next?

Related words

Browse every entry in the Chinese word dictionary.

English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.