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折中

Mandarin · pinyin zhé zhōng

to compromise
to take the middle road
a trade-off
eclectic

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Characters in this entry

折: zhé · break off, snap; bend
中: zhōng · central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain

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Mandarin tones

2–1 · zhe2 zhong1

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

to find a happy medium; to compromise
(literary, chiefly obsolete) to judge; to make judgment based on a standard

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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