Chinese word

中心

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhōng xīn

Meaning

  • nouncenter

Example

城市的中心有很多商店chéng shì de zhōng xīn yǒu hěn duō shāng diàn

There are many stores in the city center.

Illustration for 中心 (center)

More examples

孩子们在公园的中心玩耍。hái zi men zài gōng yuán de zhōng xīn wán shuǎ

The children are playing in the center of the park.

Core concept

A central spot or key point that organizes what surrounds it.

Common phrases

  • 城市中心chéng shì zhōng xīn

    city center

  • 公园的中心gōng yuán de zhōng xīn

    center of the park

Similar words

中间zhōng jiān: The middle position between two or more things or within a range.
中央zhōng yāng: The exact central position of a whole place or area.
核心hé xīn: The most important part or main point of something.
中心部zhōng xīn bù: The inner central part of a building or area.

Definition in Chinese

位于事物中间或处于最重要位置的部分或点。wèi yú shì wù zhōng jiàn huò chǔ yú zuì zhòng yào wèi zhì de bù fèn huò diǎn

Word origin

The compound 中 (zhōng, "middle") + 心 (xīn, "heart") treats the middle as the heart of a place or idea, linking location with importance.

Usage tips

  • A city center is an area rather than just a single dot, while a discussion can also have a central point, so context helps identify the sense.

Other meanings

  • corenoun
  • center pointnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 中心地zhōng xīn dìcentral areanoun
  • 中心区zhōng xīn qūcentral districtnoun

Word lists with this word