How to Write 仲 (zhòng) — Meaning “middle / second (month of a season)”

Picture a person (亻) standing exactly in the middle (中) of a long bridge. This person is the second person from the left, making them the "middle" or "second" one. This visual helps you remember that 仲 means both "middle" and "second (in a season)."

Start with the left radical 亻 using two strokes: a short left-falling stroke and a vertical line. Then write 中 with a vertical stroke that goes through the center of the box; do not split the box into two separate shapes. Keep the right part slightly narrower than the left to maintain balance.

仲 has the right component 中 (middle), 什 has 十 (ten), and 仁 has 二 (two). Visually, the right side of 仲 contains a box with a vertical line through it, while 什 is just a cross and 仁 is two horizontal lines. In meaning, 仲 relates to position or season, 什 means "what" or "ten", and 仁 means "benevolence."

仲 appears in seasonal terms like 仲夏 (midsummer) and 仲秋 (mid-autumn), referring to the second month of a season. It is also used in formal words like 仲裁 (arbitration), which means a neutral third party settling a dispute. While not common in daily speech, it is important in literary and legal contexts.

Common words containing 仲 include: 仲夏 (zhòng xià) — midsummer; 仲裁 (zhòng cái) — arbitration; 仲秋 (zhòng qiū) — mid-autumn.