之 zhī in a sentence
It ([literary equivalent of 的] - him - her)
之 (zhī) means It ([literary equivalent of 的] - him - her). Below are 24 of the 77 sentences on this site that use it — with pinyin, an English translation and audio. All of them were written by hand; none is machine generated.
Dictionary examples
这是我最喜欢的书 之 一。
Zhè shì wǒ zuì xǐhuan de shū zhī yī.
This is one of my favourite books.
Dictionary example · HSK 4 · 之
三分 之 一的学生来自国外。
Sān fēn zhī yī de xuésheng láizì guówài.
A third of the students come from abroad.
Dictionary example · HSK 4 · 之
失败是成功 之 母。
Shībài shì chénggōng zhī mǔ.
Failure is the mother of success.
Dictionary example · HSK 4 · 失败
百分 之 八十的人同意。
Bǎifēnzhī bāshí de rén tóngyì.
Eighty percent of people agree.
Dictionary example · HSK 4 · 百分之
他们 之 间沟通得不够。
Tāmen zhījiān gōutōng de bú gòu.
There is not enough communication between them.
Dictionary example · HSK 5 · 沟通
他们 之 间有一些矛盾。
Tāmen zhījiān yǒu yìxiē máodùn.
There is some conflict between them.
Dictionary example · HSK 5 · 矛盾
这是我们 之 间的秘密。
Zhè shì wǒmen zhījiān de mìmì.
This is a secret between us.
Dictionary example · HSK 5 · 秘密
工作 之 外也需要娱乐。
Gōngzuò zhī wài yě xūyào yúlè.
You need some entertainment outside work.
Dictionary example · HSK 5 · 娱乐
总 之 我们要按时完成。
Zǒngzhī wǒmen yào ànshí wánchéng.
In any case we must finish on time.
Dictionary example · HSK 5 · 总之
失败 之 后要认真反思。
Shībài zhīhòu yào rènzhēn fǎnsī.
After a failure one should reflect seriously.
Dictionary example · HSK 6 · 反思
这个结果在情理 之 中。
Zhège jiéguǒ zài qínglǐ zhī zhōng.
This outcome is only to be expected.
Dictionary example · HSK 6 · 情理
父母 之 间要互相体谅。
Fùmǔ zhījiān yào hùxiāng tǐliàng.
Parents should be understanding towards each other.
Dictionary example · HSK 6 · 体谅
整顿 之 后秩序好多了。
Zhěngdùn zhīhòu zhìxù hǎo duō le.
Order is much better after the shake-up.
Dictionary example · HSK 6 · 整顿
同学 之 间应该互相帮助。
Tóngxué zhījiān yīnggāi hùxiāng bāngzhù.
Classmates should help each other.
Dictionary example · HSK 4 · 互相
我们 之 间存在一些误会。
Wǒmen zhījiān cúnzài yìxiē wùhuì.
There are some misunderstandings between us.
Dictionary example · HSK 5 · 存在
他们 之 间是平等的关系。
Tāmen zhījiān shì píngděng de guānxi.
Theirs is a relationship of equals.
Dictionary example · HSK 5 · 平等
这幅画不愧为传世 之 作。
Zhè fú huà búkuì wéi chuánshì zhī zuò.
This painting truly deserves to be called a work for the ages.
Dictionary example · HSK 6 · 不愧
动身 之 前记得检查证件。
Dòng shēn zhīqián jìde jiǎnchá zhèngjiàn.
Remember to check your documents before you leave.
Dictionary example · HSK 6 · 动身
富裕 之 后更要懂得节约。
Fùyù zhīhòu gèng yào dǒngde jiéyuē.
Once well off, one should understand thrift all the more.
Dictionary example · HSK 6 · 富裕
两代人 之 间难免有隔阂。
Liǎng dài rén zhījiān nánmiǎn yǒu géhé.
Some estrangement between two generations is unavoidable.
Dictionary example · HSK 6 · 隔阂
Reading these is one thing; producing 之 yourself is another. Cloze in Context takes a sentence from this same bank, removes one word and asks you to put it back — beginner, intermediate and advanced.
From the graded readers
中秋节是中国最重要的节日 之 一。
zhōngqiūjié shì zhōngguó zuì zhòngyào de / dì jiérì zhīyī.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of China's most important holidays.
Graded reader · HSK 3 · Mid-Autumn Festival
From the travel phrasebook
不良率是百分 之 五。
Bùliánglǜ shì bǎi fēn zhī wǔ.
The defect rate is five per cent.
Travel phrasebook · Quality problems and claims
可以先付百分 之 三十吗？
Kěyǐ xiān fù bǎi fēn zhī sānshí ma?
Could we pay 30% up front?
Travel phrasebook · Negotiating and pricing
之 appears in 77 sentences on this site; the 24 shortest and most direct are shown. The rest are on the pages they were written for — the graded readers, the phrasebook and the grammar library.
Words that contain 之
Each of these has sentences of its own, so you can see the character doing a different job in each one.
Questions about 之
How is 之 used in a sentence?
This page shows 77 sentences using 之 (zhī, "It ([literary equivalent of 的] - him - her)"), each with pinyin, an English translation and audio. Every one of them was written by hand for this site.
Are these sentences machine generated?
No. They come from the site's own dictionary examples, graded readers, travel phrasebook and grammar library — all written by a person. A word with no sentence gets no page here, rather than a page of invented ones.
Why do some sentences show 之 inside a longer word?
Because that is where a single character usually lives. Seeing 之 inside the words it builds is how the character stops being an isolated symbol and starts being something you can read.
Is 之 an HSK word?
Yes — 之 is on the official HSK 4 vocabulary list, and you can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 4 page.
Where can I see the full entry for 之?
The dictionary page for 之 has its stroke order, its traditional form, every sense the dictionary lists and a character-by-character breakdown. It is linked at the top of this page.
Keep going
Read the full entry for 之, write a sentence of your own and check it in the Pinyin Annotator, drill it with HSK 4 flashcards, or search the whole sentence bank for another word.
Another word
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