中

An ideograph:

The earliest oracle-bone forms depict a banner with a hanging drum placed at the center of a settlement, marking the communal focus point.

Later reinterpretation (before oracle-bone finds were known) saw it as a line piercing through the middle, representing the center or hitting the middle.

Semantic range:

- middle, center (가운데, 중앙);

- inside, within (안쪽);

- to hit, strike accurately (맞히다, 적중하다);

- moderate, balanced (중도, 중용);

- abbreviation for China (中國 → 中);

中國 (중국) — China

中心 (중심) — center, core

命中 (명중) — to hit the mark

過猶不及，取中 (과유불급 취중) — “too much is as bad as too little; keep to the middle”

工事中 (공사중) — under construction

In Confucian thought, 中 is central to the doctrine of the 中庸 (중용, Doctrine of the Mean), which emphasizes moderation, balance, and harmony. To act “in the middle” means to avoid excess and deficiency, aligning one’s conduct with the proper Way (道).

In governance, 中 symbolizes impartiality and fairness, ensuring stability between extremes. Thus 中 embodies both the literal “center” and the moral “golden mean.”

The concept of 中 parallels the Christian virtue of temperance—the balanced ordering of desires and actions.