14

Does 十年中 mean "in ten years"? I found it in this sentence from tatoeba.org:

他十年中第一次回家。

He returned home for the first time in ten years.

It seems like I could use the same pattern to say, "I haven't had a drink in five years." 我五年中没有喝酒。 Does that work?

Improve this question
2
  • 2
    Don, your second Chinese example sounds slightly unnatural. I think it has something to do with your English example. In the second example, the "in" indicates a specific duration coupled with a continuous activity; whereas in the first example, the "in" simply indicates a simple temporal scope with a non-continuous activity. The difference is extremely subtle, but when you translate it into Chinese, you cannot use the same structure. I'd say something like: 我五年没喝过酒, essentially removing 中 and adding the perfect tense marker.
    – deutschZuid
    Commented Jul 26, 2012 at 22:42
  • 2
    If you want a more 'natural' example, you could say: 我五年没沾过一滴酒. (literally: I haven't touched a single drop of alchohol in five years.)
    – deutschZuid
    Commented Jul 26, 2012 at 22:46

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
14

Yes. 中 can be used to express that something happened of didn't happen within a certain scope or range or just within something (《现代汉语词典》: 范围内；内部). The range doesn't need to be a time range, but it can be. Furthermore, it can also refer to the future. So you can say:

  • 他预言战争将在下几年中爆发: He predicted that war would break out in the next few years. 年中
  • 在最近若干年中: In recent years
  • 在过去一百二十年中，人口已膨胀了十倍: In the past 120 years the population has increased tenfold.
  • 过去几年中，许多工人对美术发生了兴趣: Many workers have taken to the arts in the past few years.
  • 随后的四十年中，债务人受州法律的保护: For the next 40 years debtors were subject to state laws.

As already mentioned it can also refer to other things than a time range. Some examples: 家中， 水中， 山中， 心中， 队伍中

Improve this answer
3

中 literally means middle. Taken with respect to time or space, it means "within."

So 他十年中第一次回家 means, he returned home once within a [particular] ten year period.

Improve this answer
1

中 is a redundant word when used in such context. Instead, you could write:

他十年第一次回家

and

我五年没有喝酒

The reason why 中 is not used to express a period in time is because 中 has another meaning - middle.

Example,

他在年中考试考不及格。

He failed his mid-year exam.

It is clear to Chinese native speakers when the context is given that the number of years refer to a period in time instead of a specific point in time. So there is no real need to add 中 behind 十年 to express a duration.

However, if you really insist, you can use 来 instead to express duration.

Example,

他这十年来都没有回家。

He has never been home during the past ten years.

Improve this answer
2
  • Welcome to the site. Did you mean "should write" or "could write"?
    – Don Kirkby
    Commented Jul 30, 2012 at 4:52
  • I mean 中 shouldn't be there. Of course it could be written in many ways. Let me correct that.
    – 杨以轩
    Commented Jul 30, 2012 at 5:08

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.