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

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

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-26T18:14:12.713Z
2012-07-26T18:14:12.713Z
Tom Au
<p><code>中</code> is a redundant word when used in such context. Instead, you could write:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>他十年第一次回家</p>
</blockquote>

<p>and</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我五年没有喝酒</p>
</blockquote>

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

<p>Example,</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>他在年中考试考不及格。</p>
  
  <p>He failed his mid-year exam.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>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 <code>中</code> behind <code>十年</code> to express a duration.</p>

<p>However, if you really insist, you can use <code>来</code> instead to express duration.</p>

<p>Example,</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>他这十年来都没有回家。</p>
  
  <p>He has never been home during the past ten years.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-30T04:52:31.087Z
Welcome to the site. Did you mean "should write" or "could write"?
Don Kirkby
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-30T05:08:44.147Z
I mean `中` shouldn't be there. Of course it could be written in many ways. Let me correct that.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-29T15:39:30.077Z
2012-07-30T05:20:09.430Z
2012-07-30T05:20:09.430Z
杨以轩
<p>Yes.
中 can be used to express that something happened of didn't happen <strong>within a certain scope or range</strong> 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:</p>

<ul>
<li>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</li>
<li>在最近若干年中: In recent years</li>
<li>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.</li>
<li>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.</li>
<li>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.</li>
</ul>

<p>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</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-25T07:01:34.983Z
2012-07-28T05:55:52.500Z
2012-07-28T05:55:52.500Z
BertR
<p>Does 十年中 mean &quot;in ten years&quot;? I found it in this sentence from <a href="http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/335890" rel="noreferrer">tatoeba.org</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>他十年中第一次回家。</p>
<p>He returned home for the first time in ten years.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It seems like I could use the same pattern to say, &quot;I haven't had a drink in five years.&quot; 我五年中没有喝酒。 Does that work?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-26T22:42:21.880Z
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
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-26T22:46:00.940Z
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
<grammar>
Use of 十年中 to express duration
# Use of 十年中 to express duration

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-07-25)

Does 十年中 mean "in ten years"? I found it in this sentence from [tatoeba.org](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/335890):

> 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?

**Tags:** grammar

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 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.  
> **username_1**: 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.)  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2012-07-25. Score: 14 | Accepted answer

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


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2012-07-26. Score: 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.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2012-07-29. Score: 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.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Welcome to the site. Did you mean "should write" or "could write"?  
> **username_3**: I mean `中` shouldn't be there. Of course it could be written in many ways. Let me correct that.  

---

