伯仲之间

伯仲之間

bózhòngzhījiān

idiom

Meanings

1 on a par with each other
2 neck and neck
3 hard to tell apart in quality

Characters

second eldest brother

(possessive particle)

Examples

这两位棋手的水平在伯仲之间。

Zhè liǎng wèi qíshǒu de shuǐpíng zài bózhòngzhījiān.

These two chess players are evenly matched.

两本小说的文学价值在伯仲之间。

Liǎng běn xiǎoshuō de wénxué jiàzhí zài bózhòngzhījiān.

The two novels are of comparable literary value.

决赛双方实力在伯仲之间，胜负难料。

Juésài shuāngfāng shílì zài bózhòngzhījiān, shèngfù nán liào.

The two finalists are evenly matched — the outcome is hard to predict.

Tips

history

From Cao Pi's 《典论·论文》 (3rd c.): '傅毅之于班固，伯仲之间耳' — Fu Yi versus Ban Gu are like elder brother and second brother, hard to rank. 伯 = oldest brother, 仲 = second; 'between them' means basically tied.

Stroke Order

伯 bó

仲 zhòng

之 zhī

间 jiān