中心 zhōngxīn center
center; heart; core
How to remember 中心: 中 middle + 心 heart = center.
Characters
How it is used
- Everyday word for both a literal center - 市中心 (shì zhōngxīn) downtown/city center - and an abstract focal point, as in 以家庭为中心 (yǐ jiātíng wéi zhōngxīn) - centered on family.
- Also a common suffix for institutions: 购物中心 (shopping center), 医疗中心 (medical center).
- Distinguish from 中央 (zhōngyāng), reserved for the political center - 中央政府, the central government - and 中间 (zhōngjiān), which just means physically between two things.
Example sentences
- 市中心有很多旅馆。 Shìzhōngxīn yǒu hěnduō lǚguǎn.There are many hotels downtown.
- 图书馆位于城市中心。 Túshūguǎn wèiyú chéngshì zhōngxīn.The library is in the center of the city.
- 天安门广场位于北京市中心。 Tiān'ānmén Guǎngchǎng wèiyú Běijīng Shì zhōngxīn.Tiananmen Square is in the center of Beijing.