之中

zhīzhōng
particle phrase HSK 5 #1,738

Meanings

  1. 1 among
  2. 2 in the midst of
  3. 3 inside

Examples

Zài suǒyǒu xuéshēng zhī zhōng, tā zuì nǔlì.
Among all the students, he is the most hardworking.
Yìliào zhī zhōng de jiéguǒ.
An expected result.
Zài kùnnan zhī zhōng, tāmen hùxiāng bāngzhù.
In the midst of difficulties, they helped each other.

Tips

usage
意料之中 (within expectations) and 意料之外 (beyond expectations) are extremely common set phrases. 之中 is more literary than or .
grammar
之中 follows a noun: noun + 之中. It's interchangeable with 当中 (dāngzhōng) in many contexts, but 之中 sounds more formal/literary.

Stroke Order

zhī
zhōng