Difference between revisions of "Comparing "zhijian" and “zhongjian""

 
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When describing spatial relationships, the words 之间 (zhījiān) and 中间 (zhōngjiān) will come in handy to express the concepts of "between" and "among."  Both have a few particular uses, though.
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When describing spatial relationships, the words 之间 (zhījiān) and 中间 (zhōngjiān) will come in handy to express the concepts of "[[between]]" and "[[among]]."  Both have a few particular uses, though.
  
== Both can mean "in the middle" ==
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== Both as "Between... and..." ==
  
=== Between two points in space ===
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之间 and 中间 can both refer to a space "in the middle" between two points, as long as we're talking about physical space.
  
之间 and 中间 can both refer to a space "in the middle" between two points, as long as we're talking about physical space.  So between Shanghai and Beijing, between my eyes, between the psychotic monkey and the enraged elephant, etc.
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=== Structure ===
 
 
==== Structure ====
 
  
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
Noun1 + 和 + Noun2 + 之间/中间
+
A + 和 + B + 之间/中间
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
==== Examples ====
+
=== Examples ===
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
* 上海 在 江苏省 浙江省 <em>之间</em> 。 <span class="trans">Shanghai is between Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province.</span>
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*上海 在 江苏 省 浙江 省 <em>之间</em> / <em>中间</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Shànghǎi zài Jiāngsū Shěng hé Zhèjiāng Shěng <em>zhījiān</em> / <em>zhōngjiān</em>.</span><span class="trans">Shanghai is between Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province.</span>
* 在沙发和桌子之间有一只猫。 <span class="trans">There's a cat between the sofa and the table.</span>
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*我 家 客厅 和 卧室 <em>中间</em> 是 洗手间 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ jiā kètīng hé wòshì <em>zhōngjiān</em> shì xǐshǒujiān.</span><span class="trans">Our bathroom is between the bedroom and the living room.</span>
</div>
 
 
 
=== For time and number ranges use 之间 ===
 
 
 
This usage refers to examples like "between 8am and 3pm" or "a number between 32 and 51."
 
 
 
==== Structure ====
 
 
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
Time1 + 和 + Time2 + 之间
 
</div>
 
  
<div class="jiegou">
 
Number1 + 和 + Number2 + 之间
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
==== Examples ====
+
Grammatically, both 之间 and 中间 are nouns ([[location noun]]s, to be precise). One difference between the two, however, is that 中间 can be used all by itself, but 之间 is always used together with other words.
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 你 需要 在 八 点 到 十 点 <em>之间</em> 来 。 <span class="trans">You need to come between 8:00 and 10:00.</span>
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<ul>
* 3月 到 7月 <em>之间</em> 是 旅游 时间 。 <span class="trans">Betwen March and July is a good time to travel.</span>
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<li class="x">明天 早上 我 有 两 个 考试 ,<em>之间</em> 有 20 分钟 休息 时间 。<span class="pinyin">Míngtiān zǎoshang wǒ yǒu liǎng gè kǎoshì, <em>zhījiān</em> yǒu èrshí fēnzhōng de xiūxi shíjiān.</span></li>
* 上海 的 外国人 数量 在 17 万 到 20 万 <em>之间</em> 。 <span class="trans">There are between 170,000 and 200,000 foreigners in Shanghai.</span>
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<li class="o">明天 早上 我 有 两 个 考试 ,<em>中间</em> 有 20 分钟 的 休息 时间 。<span class="pinyin">Míngtiān zǎoshang wǒ yǒu liǎng gè kǎoshì, <em>zhōngjiān</em> yǒu èrshí fēnzhōng de xiūxi shíjiān.</span><span class="trans">I have two exams tomorrow morning. There is a 20 minute break in between.</span></li>
* 上海 的 外星人 数量 在 170 到 200 <em>之间</em> <span class="trans">There are between 170 and 200 extraterrestrials in Shanghai.</span>
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</ul>
 +
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
=== For describing location within an object, use 中间 ===
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== Usages of 中间 ==
  
This "within" could be "inside" a space (like inside a house, or inside a refrigerator), and is similar to 里面 except that it is also centered in the space (with regards to the sides, but not height).  But it can also mean "in the middle of" a two-dimensional physical space, like in the middle (center) of a table, or in the middle of the screen.
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=== 中间 as "In the Middle of" ===
  
You can't use 之间 in this way.
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中间 can be used for describing location within an object. This "within" could be "inside" a space, like inside a house, in the middle (center) of a table, or in the middle of the screen. You can't use 之间 in this way.
  
 
==== Structure ====
 
==== Structure ====
  
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
Noun + (的 +) 中间
+
Place (+ 的) + 中间  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 房子 的 <em>中间</em> 有 一 个 大 桌子 。 <span class="trans">In the middle of the apartment there's a table.</span>
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*<strong>客厅 </strong> <em>中间</em> 有 一 个 沙发 <span class="pinyin"><strong>Kètīng de</strong> <em>zhōngjiān</em> yǒu yī gè shāfā.</span><span class="trans">There is a sofa in the middle of the living room.</span>
* 我 在 这 一 座位 的 <em>中间</em> 。 <span class="trans">I'm in the middle of this row of seats.</span>
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*我 的 座位 <strong>第 七 </strong> <em>中间</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ de zuòwèi zài <strong>dì-qī pái</strong> <em>zhōngjiān</em>.</span><span class="trans">My seat is in the middle of Row 7.</span>
* 把 花 放 在 桌子 <em>中间</em> 。 <span class="trans">Put the flowers in the middle of the table.</span>
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*把 花 放 在 <strong>桌子</strong> <em>中间</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Bǎ huā fàng zài <strong>zhuōzi </strong> <em>zhōngjiān</em>.</span><span class="trans">Put the flowers in the middle of the table.</span>
 +
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
== Other uses of 之间 ==
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Try not to say:
  
=== 之间 can be used to indicate relationships ===
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<div class="liju">
  
The idea is that the relationship is "between two people," and the "between" is indicated by 之间. This usage of 之间 can also refer to relationships between a person and a company, two companies, two countries, etc.
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<ul>
 +
<li class="x"><strong>大厅</strong> <em>之间</em> 有 很多 人 。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Dàtīng</strong> <em>zhījiān</em> yǒu hěn duō rén.</span><span class="trans">There are many people in the middle of the lobby.</span></li>
 +
</ul>
  
You can't use 中间 in this way.
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</div>
  
==== Structure ====
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=== 中间 as "Among" ===
  
<div class="jiegou">
+
中间 is used when referring to one (or more) "among many."
Noun1 + 和 + Noun2 + 之间
 
</div>
 
  
In the structure above, Noun1 and Noun2 are frequently people.
+
A few examples:
 
 
==== Examples ====
 
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
* 父母 和 孩子 <em>之间</em> 应该 多 交流 。 <span class="trans">There should be plenty of communication between parents and children.</span>
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*<strong>你们</strong> <em>中间</em> 有 会 唱歌 吗 ?<span class="pinyin"><strong>Nǐmen</strong><em>zhōngjiān</em> yǒu huì chànggē de ma?</span><span class="trans">Can anyone among you sing?</span>
* 我们 公司 , 同事 <em>之间</em> 的 关系 很 复杂 。 <span class="trans">The relationships between our company and its employees are quite complex.</span>
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*<strong>这些 人</strong> <em>中间</em> 我 只 认识 一 个 。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Zhèxiē rén</strong> <em>zhōngjiān</em> wǒ zhī rènshi yī gè.</span><span class="trans">Among these people, I only know one person.</span>
* 中美 <em>之间</em> 还 有 很 多 问题 需要 解决 。 <span class="trans">There are a lot of issues between China and the USA which need to be resolved.</span>
 
* 我们 <em>之间</em> 什么 话 都 说 。 <span class="trans">The two of us can talk about anything.</span>
 
* 你 要 学 会 处理 上下 级 <em>之间</em> 的 关系 。 <span class="trans">You need to learn to handle the relationships between superiors and subordinates.</span>
 
* 国家 <em>之间</em> 的 政治 关系 受 经济 的 影响 很 大 。 <span class="trans">The effect of economics on the relationship between the two countries is significant.</span>
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
== Other uses of 中间 ==
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之间 can't be used to mean "among" like this.
  
=== 中间 can also mean "among" ===
+
== Usages of 之间 ==
  
中间 is used when referring to one (or more) "among many."
+
=== 之间 as "Ranging from... to..." ===
 +
 
 +
This usage refers to examples like "between 8am and 3pm" or "between 20 and 30".
  
 
==== Structure ====
 
==== Structure ====
  
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
Noun + (的 +) 中间
+
A + + B + 之间
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
* 你们 <em>中间</em> 有 会 唱歌 的 吗 ? <span class="trans">Can anyone among you sing?</span>
 
* 这 些 人 <em>中间</em> 只 有 一 个 我 认识 。 <span class="trans">Among these people, there's only one I know.</span>
 
</div>
 
  
=== 中间 can be used as part of other words ===
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*你 可以 明天 早上 八 点 <strong>到</strong> 十 点 <em>之间</em> 过来 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ kěyǐ míngtiān zǎoshang bā diǎn <strong>dào</strong> shí diǎn <em>zhījiān</em> guòlái.</span><span class="trans">You can come between 8am and 10am tomorrow.</span>
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*45 岁 <strong>到</strong> 60 岁 <em>之间</em> 的 人 很 容易 得 这种病 。<span class="pinyin">Sìshí-wǔ suì <strong>dào</strong> liùshí suì <em>zhījiān</em> de rén hěn róngyì dé zhè zhǒng bìng.</span><span class="trans">People aged 45 to 60 years old are susceptible to this disease.</span>
  
中间 is a noun, and can combine with other nouns to create a number of fairly common verbs.
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</div>
  
==== Structure ====
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=== 之间 for Describing Relationships ===
  
<div class="jiegou">
+
The idea is that the relationship is "between" two or more people, with the abstract "between" part indicated by 之间. This usage of 之间 can also refer to relationships between two (or more) companies, countries, etc., but mostly it's used between people. 中间 can't be used in this way.
中间 + Noun
 
</div>
 
  
==== Examples ====
+
A few examples:
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
* <em>中间</em><span class="trans">intermediary (lit. "middle person")</span>
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*<strong>夫妻</strong> <em>之间</em> 应该 多 交流 。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Fūqī</strong> <em>zhījiān</em> yīnggāi duō jiāoliú.</span><span class="trans">There should be plenty of communication between husband and wife.</span>
* <em>中间</em><span class="trans">broker (lit. "middle business")</span>
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*<strong>你们</strong> <em>之间</em> 到底 发生了 什么 事情 ?<span class="pinyin"><strong>Nǐmen</strong> <em>zhījiān</em> dàodǐ fāshēng le shénme shìqing?</span><span class="trans">What exactly happened between the two of you?</span>
 +
*她 不 太 会 处理 <strong>上下 级</strong> <em>之间</em> 的 关系 。<span class="pinyin">Tā bù tài huì chǔlǐ <strong>shàng-xià jí</strong> <em>zhījiān</em> de guānxi.</span><span class="trans">She doesn't really understand how to handle the relationships between superiors and subordinates.</span>
 
</div>
 
</div>
 
=== Sources and further reading ===
 
 
==== Books ====
 
 
==== Dictionaries ====
 
 
  
 
[[Category:grammar comparison]]
 
[[Category:grammar comparison]]
{{Basic Grammar|之间|B1|之间 vs 中间| 句子|grammar point|NEEDCODE}}
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{{HSK|HSK0}}
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{{Basic Grammar|之间|B1|之间 vs. 中间| 八 点 到 十 点 <em>之间</em> 我 都 有空 。客厅 的 <em>中间</em> 有 一 个 沙发 。|grammar point|ASGN6O6J}}
 
{{Rel char|中间}}
 
{{Rel char|中间}}
 +
{{Rel char|中}}
 +
{{Rel char|之}}
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{{Translation|between}}
 +
{{Translation|among}}
 
{{Comparison|Nouns}}
 
{{Comparison|Nouns}}

Latest revision as of 03:10, 13 August 2019

Chinese-grammar-wiki-zhi1.jpg

When describing spatial relationships, the words 之间 (zhījiān) and 中间 (zhōngjiān) will come in handy to express the concepts of "between" and "among." Both have a few particular uses, though.

Both as "Between... and..."

之间 and 中间 can both refer to a space "in the middle" between two points, as long as we're talking about physical space.

Structure

A + 和 + B + 之间/中间

Examples

  • 上海 在 江苏 省 和 浙江 省 之间 / 中间Shànghǎi zài Jiāngsū Shěng hé Zhèjiāng Shěng zhījiān / zhōngjiān.Shanghai is between Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province.
  • 我 家 客厅 和 卧室 中间 是 洗手间 。Wǒ jiā kètīng hé wòshì zhōngjiān shì xǐshǒujiān.Our bathroom is between the bedroom and the living room.

Grammatically, both 之间 and 中间 are nouns (location nouns, to be precise). One difference between the two, however, is that 中间 can be used all by itself, but 之间 is always used together with other words.

  • 明天 早上 我 有 两 个 考试 ,之间 有 20 分钟 的 休息 时间 。Míngtiān zǎoshang wǒ yǒu liǎng gè kǎoshì, zhījiān yǒu èrshí fēnzhōng de xiūxi shíjiān.
  • 明天 早上 我 有 两 个 考试 ,中间 有 20 分钟 的 休息 时间 。Míngtiān zǎoshang wǒ yǒu liǎng gè kǎoshì, zhōngjiān yǒu èrshí fēnzhōng de xiūxi shíjiān.I have two exams tomorrow morning. There is a 20 minute break in between.

Usages of 中间

中间 as "In the Middle of"

中间 can be used for describing location within an object. This "within" could be "inside" a space, like inside a house, in the middle (center) of a table, or in the middle of the screen. You can't use 之间 in this way.

Structure

Place (+ 的) + 中间

Examples

  • 客厅 的 中间 有 一 个 沙发 。Kètīng de zhōngjiān yǒu yī gè shāfā.There is a sofa in the middle of the living room.
  • 我 的 座位 在 第 七 排 中间Wǒ de zuòwèi zài dì-qī pái zhōngjiān.My seat is in the middle of Row 7.
  • 把 花 放 在 桌子 中间Bǎ huā fàng zài zhuōzi zhōngjiān.Put the flowers in the middle of the table.

Try not to say:

  • 大厅 之间 有 很多 人 。Dàtīng zhījiān yǒu hěn duō rén.There are many people in the middle of the lobby.

中间 as "Among"

中间 is used when referring to one (or more) "among many."

A few examples:

  • 你们 中间 有 会 唱歌 的 吗 ?Nǐmenzhōngjiān yǒu huì chànggē de ma?Can anyone among you sing?
  • 这些 人 中间 我 只 认识 一 个 。Zhèxiē rén zhōngjiān wǒ zhī rènshi yī gè.Among these people, I only know one person.

之间 can't be used to mean "among" like this.

Usages of 之间

之间 as "Ranging from... to..."

This usage refers to examples like "between 8am and 3pm" or "between 20 and 30".

Structure

A + 到 + B + 之间

Examples

  • 你 可以 明天 早上 八 点 十 点 之间 过来 。Nǐ kěyǐ míngtiān zǎoshang bā diǎn dào shí diǎn zhījiān guòlái.You can come between 8am and 10am tomorrow.
  • 45 岁 60 岁 之间 的 人 很 容易 得 这种病 。Sìshí-wǔ suì dào liùshí suì zhījiān de rén hěn róngyì dé zhè zhǒng bìng.People aged 45 to 60 years old are susceptible to this disease.

之间 for Describing Relationships

The idea is that the relationship is "between" two or more people, with the abstract "between" part indicated by 之间. This usage of 之间 can also refer to relationships between two (or more) companies, countries, etc., but mostly it's used between people. 中间 can't be used in this way.

A few examples:

  • 夫妻 之间 应该 多 交流 。Fūqī zhījiān yīnggāi duō jiāoliú.There should be plenty of communication between husband and wife.
  • 你们 之间 到底 发生了 什么 事情 ?Nǐmen zhījiān dàodǐ fāshēng le shénme shìqing?What exactly happened between the two of you?
  • 她 不 太 会 处理 上下 级 之间 的 关系 。Tā bù tài huì chǔlǐ shàng-xià jí zhījiān de guānxi.She doesn't really understand how to handle the relationships between superiors and subordinates.