之间

zhī jiān

HSK 3.0 Level 4 Noun Very common

Definitions

1. (after a noun) between; among; amid
2. (used after certain bisyllabic words to form expressions indicating a short period of time, e.g. 彈指之間|弹指之间[tán zhǐ zhī jiān])

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

外面

wài miàn

outside (also pr. [wài mian] for this sense)

之间 means 'between' or 'among', while 外面 means 'outside', the opposite spatial relation.

Related words

2 items

当中

dāng zhōng

among

Also means 'in the middle of' or 'among', but 当中 can emphasize being at the center or during a process.

中间

zhōng jiān

the middle; the inside

Means 'middle' or 'center', often used for physical position, while 之间 emphasizes the relationship between entities.

Synonyms

1 item

之中

zhī zhōng

inside

Used interchangeably with 之间 to mean 'among' or 'amidst', but 之中 is more formal and often used in abstract contexts.

Usage notes

Collocations

之间 is placed after two or more nouns or pronouns connected by 和 or 跟 to mean 'between A and B'.

Common mistakes

之间 is not used after a single noun referring to a location; use 里 (inside) instead.

Example Sentences

5 shown

我们之间存在一些差异。

There are some differences between us.

他们之间的友谊很深厚。

The friendship between them is very deep.

他们之间的关系很暧昧。

The relationship between them is very ambiguous.

他们之间有着深情厚谊。

There is deep friendship between them.

木板之间有个空隙。

There is a gap between the boards.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 之间

一夜之间

yī yè zhī jiān

(lit. and fig.) overnight

一线之间

yī xiàn zhī jiān

a hair's breadth apart

almost on a par

in a flash

bilateral

undecided between taking and leaving

弹指之间

tán zhǐ zhī jiān

(idiom) in a flash; instantly

瞬息之间

shùn xī zhī jiān

in the wink of an eye

Child Words of 之间

之

zhī

(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de])

between

gap