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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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  <h1></h1>

  <p>When describing spatial relationships, the words <span class="hanzi">之间</span> (<span class="pinyin">zhījiān</span>) and <span class="hanzi">中间</span> (<span class="pinyin">zhōngjiān</span>) will come in handy to express the concepts of "<b>between</b>" and "<b>among</b>." Both have a few particular uses, though.</p>

  <h2 id="both-can-mean-in-the-middle">Both can mean "in the middle"</h2>

  <p>Grammatically, both <span class="hanzi">之间</span> and <span class="hanzi">中间</span> are nouns (<a href="location_noun" title="wikilink">location nouns</a>, to be precise). One difference between the two, however, is that <span class="hanzi">中间</span> can be used all by itself, but <span class="hanzi">之间</span> is always used together with other words.</p>

  <h3 id="between-two-points-in-space">Between two points in space</h3>

  <p><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">之间</span> and <span class="hanzi">中间</span> can both refer to a space "<b>in the middle</b>" 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.</p>

  <h2>Contents</h2>

  <ol>
    <li>Structure<br/></li>

    <li>Examples<br/></li>

    <li>See also<br/></li>

    <li>Sources and further reading<br/></li>

    <ol>
      <li>Books<br/></li>
    </ol>
  </ol>

  <h4 id="structure">Structure</h4>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Noun 1 + <span class="hanzist">和</span> + Noun 2 + <span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px;">之间／中间</span>
    </div>
  </div>

  <h4 id="examples">Examples</h4>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">上海 在 江苏省 和 浙江省 之间 。</span> <span>Shanghai is between Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">在沙发和桌子之间有一只猫。</span> <span>There's a cat between the sofa and the table.</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h3 id="for-time-and-number-ranges-use-之间">For time and number ranges use <span class="hanzist">之间</span></h3>

  <p>This usage refers to examples like "between 8am and 3pm" or "a number between 32 and 51."</p>

  <h4 id="structure-1">Structure</h4>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Time 1 + <span class="hanzist">和</span> + Time 2 + <span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px;">之间</span>
    </div>
  </div>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Number 1 + <span class="hanzist">和</span> + Number 2 + <span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px;">之间</span>
    </div>
  </div>

  <h4 id="examples-1">Examples</h4>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">你 需要 在 八 点 到 十 点 之间 来 。</span> <span>You need to come between 8:00 and 10:00.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">3月 到 7月 之间 是 旅游 的 好 时间 。</span> <span>Betwen March and July is a good time to travel.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">上海 的 外国人 数量 在 17 万 到 20 万 之间 。</span> <span>There are between 170,000 and 200,000 foreigners in Shanghai.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">上海 的 外星人 数量 在 170 到 200 之间 。</span> <span>There are between 170 and 200 extraterrestrials in Shanghai.</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h3 id="for-describing-location-within-an-object-use-中间">For describing location within an object, use <span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal;">中间</span></h3>

  <p>This "<b>within</b>" could be "<b>inside</b>" a space (like inside a house, or inside a refrigerator), and is similar to <span class="hanzi">里面</span> except that it is also centered in the space (with regards to the sides, but not height). But it can also mean "<b>in the middle of</b>" a two-dimensional physical space, like in the middle (center) of a table, or in the middle of the screen.</p>

  <p>You can't use <span class="hanzi">之间</span> in this way.</p>

  <h4 id="structure-2">Structure</h4>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Noun + <span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px;">(的 +) 中间</span>
    </div>
  </div>

  <h4 id="examples-2">Examples</h4>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">房子 的 中间 有 一 个 大 桌子 。</span> <span>In the middle of the apartment there's a table.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 在 这 一 排 座位 的 中间 。</span> <span>I'm in the middle of this row of seats.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">把 花 放 在 桌子 中间 。</span> <span>Put the flowers in the middle of the table.</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="other-uses-of-之间">Other uses of <span class="hanzist">之间</span></h2>

  <h3 id="之间-can-be-used-to-indicate-relationships"><span class="hanzist">之间</span> can be used to indicate relationships</h3>

  <p>The idea is that the relationship is "<b>between two people</b>," and the "<b>between</b>" is indicated by <span class="hanzi">之间</span>. This usage of <span class="hanzi">之间</span> can also refer to relationships between a person and a company, two companies, two countries, etc.</p>

  <p>You can't use <span class="hanzi">中间</span> in this way.</p>

  <h4 id="structure-3">Structure</h4>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Noun 1 + <span class="hanzist">和</span> + Noun 2 + <span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px;">之间</span>
    </div>
  </div>

  <p>In the structure above, Noun 1 and Noun 2 are frequently people.</p>

  <h4 id="examples-3">Examples</h4>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">父母 和 孩子 之间 应该 多 交流 。</span> <span>There should be plenty of communication between parents and children.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我们 公司 ， 同事 之间 的 关系 很 复杂 。</span> <span>The relationships between our company and its employees are quite complex.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">中美 之间 还 有 很 多 问题 需要 解决 。</span> <span>There are a lot of issues between China and the USA which need to be resolved.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我们 之间 什么 话 都 说 。</span> <span>The two of us can talk about anything.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 要 学 会 处理 上下 级 之间 的 关系 。</span> <span>You need to learn to handle the relationships between superiors and subordinates.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">国家 之间 的 政治 关系 受 经济 的 影响 很 大 。</span> <span>The effect of economics on the relationship between the two countries is significant.</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="other-uses-of-中间">Other uses of <span class="hanzist">中间</span></h2>

  <h3 id="中间-can-also-mean-among"><span class="hanzist">中间</span> can also mean "among"</h3>

  <p><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">中间</span> is used when referring to one (or more) "among many."</p>

  <h4 id="structure-4">Structure</h4>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Noun + <span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px;">(的 +) 中间</span>
    </div>
  </div>

  <h4 id="examples-4">Examples</h4>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">你们 中间 有 会 唱歌 的 吗 ？</span> <span>Can anyone among you sing?</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">这些 人 中间 只 有 一 个 我 认识 。</span> <span>Among these people, there's only one I know.</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h3 id="中间-can-be-used-as-part-of-other-words"><span class="hanzist">中间</span> can be used as part of other words</h3>

  <p><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">中间</span> is a noun, and can combine with other nouns to create a number of fairly common verbs.</p>

  <h4 id="structure-5">Structure</h4>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      <span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px;">中间</span> + Noun
    </div>
  </div>

  <h4 id="examples-5">Examples</h4>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">中间人</span> <span>intermediary (lit. "middle person")</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">中间商</span> <span>broker (lit. "middle business")</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>

  <h3 id="books">Books</h3>

  <h3 id="dictionaries">Dictionaries</h3>
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