其中
among them; of which
qízhōng
What does 其中 mean?
其中 (qízhōng) is a pronoun meaning 'among them,' 'of these,' or 'in which,' pointing back to a group or set already mentioned. It works like English 'of which' or 'among them' — you name a whole first (a class of 30 students, several problems, three books), then use 其中 to zoom in on a part. English speakers trip on two things. First, 其中 refers backward to something already stated; you cannot open a sentence with it out of nowhere.
Second, it often pairs with a following number or noun: 其中一个 (one of them), 其中三名 (three of them). The 其 means 'its / their' and 中 means 'within,' so literally 'within that group.' It is more compact and more written-sounding than saying 在这些里面.
Note: Common in both spoken and written Chinese, but leans slightly formal or explanatory — you hear it in news, reports, and careful speech more than in casual chat.
Character breakdown
its; their; that (formal possessive)
within; middle; among
Memory hook: '其' = that group, '中' = within it — 'within that group,' i.e. among them.
Example sentences
这个班有三十个学生，其中十个是女生。
Zhège bān yǒu sānshí gè xuéshēng, qízhōng shí gè shì nǚshēng.
This class has thirty students, ten of whom are girls.
neutral
我买了很多水果，其中我最喜欢苹果。
Wǒ mǎile hěn duō shuǐguǒ, qízhōng wǒ zuì xǐhuan píngguǒ.
I bought a lot of fruit, and among them I like apples best.
spoken
这次考试有五道题，其中一道特别难。
Zhè cì kǎoshì yǒu wǔ dào tí, qízhōng yī dào tèbié nán.
This exam had five questions, one of which was especially hard.
neutral
他做这份工作很辛苦，但也乐在其中。
Tā zuò zhè fèn gōngzuò hěn xīnkǔ, dàn yě lè zài qízhōng.
This job is hard for him, but he also finds joy in it.
written
Common phrases with 其中
Synonyms
当中 also means 'among / in the middle of' and is a bit more spoken. 其中 refers back to a stated group; 当中 can follow a noun directly (我们当中 'among us'), where 其中 usually cannot.
里面 ('inside') is the plain spoken way to say 'in there.' 其中 is tighter and more written; you would write 其中一个 in a report but say 里面有一个 in casual talk.
Don't confuse 其中 with
FAQ
Acquire by listening
Hear 其中 in real Chinese, not in a flashcard.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this word shows up again and again in real sentences. Pinyin, translation, and the episode where you heard it — every time. Free to start, no card.