middle
middle — 名詞
1. the central part of a space, equally far from all edges or sides; also the halfw
中間；中央
距離邊緣或兩端相等的位置或時間點
the central part of a space, equally far from all edges or sides; also the halfway period of an event measured from start to finish.
Vivek placed the vase in the middle of the dining table.
Vivek 把花瓶放在餐桌的中間。
in the middle of [space]
The road has a white line painted down the middle.
那條路的中間畫著一條白線。
down the middle
Ari woke up twice in the middle of the night.
Ari 半夜醒來了兩次。
A cat suddenly ran into the middle of the street.
一隻貓突然跑到馬路中央。
The film drags a bit in the middle but the ending is exciting.
那部電影中間有點拖，但結尾很精彩。
文法句型
the middle of [something]
用法筆記
Often follows the preposition 'in' or 'down'. When referring to time, the phrase 'in the middle of' is commonly used to mean 'during'.
常見錯誤
2. the part of a person's body around the waist, between the ribs and the hips.
腰部
人體肋骨與臀部之間的部位
the part of a person's body around the waist, between the ribs and the hips.
Felipe wrapped a towel around his middle after getting out of the pool.
Felipe 從游泳池出來後，把毛巾圍在腰上。
possessive + middle
Nia tied a colourful scarf around her middle to brighten up the dress.
Nia 在腰上繫了一條彩色絲巾，讓裙子看起來更亮眼。
The belt was a little too tight around his middle after the big meal.
大餐後，那條皮帶勒在他的腰上有點太緊了。
Élise felt a sharp pain in her middle and went to see a doctor.
Élise 感到腰部一陣劇痛，於是去看醫生。
文法句型
[possessive] middle
用法筆記
This use of 'middle' is slightly informal compared to 'waist'. It is common in everyday conversation, especially when referring to body size ('a large middle') or clothing fit.
常見錯誤
3. a level or position that is between two extremes — not too much of one quality a
中間值；中庸
介於兩極之間的位置或程度
a level or position that is between two extremes — not too much of one quality and not too much of another.
Christopher tries to find a middle between saving money and enjoying life.
Christopher 試圖在存錢和享受生活之間找到一個平衡點。
a middle between A and B
The apartment is a happy middle between a studio and a large family flat.
這間公寓介於小套房和大家庭房之間，算是個不錯的折衷。
In the debate, Jin argued for a middle that neither side would reject.
在那場辯論中，Jin 主張一個雙方都不會拒絕的中間立場。
The price is somewhere in the middle of the two offers we received.
這個價格落在我們收到的兩份報價之間。
- midpoint
more numerical or mathematical; less flexible for opinions or qualities
- mean
formal and technical; used in statistics or formal reasoning
- compromise
implies an active agreement between two sides, not just a position between them
文法句型
the middle between [two extremes]
用法筆記
Frequently used in fixed phrases such as 'a/the middle ground' and 'the middle of the road'. This sense is common in discussion about opinions, prices, and levels.
middle — 形容詞
1. at an equal distance from the sides, edges, or ends of something; in the centre.
中間；居中
位於中央或正中位置的
at an equal distance from the sides, edges, or ends of something; in the centre.
Jin lives in the middle apartment on the third floor.
Jin 住在三樓中間的那戶公寓。
middle + noun (position)
The middle shelf is the easiest to reach for a short person.
對個子矮的人來說，中間那層架子最方便拿取。
Our seats were in the middle row, so we had a good view of the stage.
我們的座位在中間那一排，所以舞台視野很好。
Nia always takes the middle seat when the three of us travel together.
我們三個人一起出門時，Nia 總是坐中間的位子。
文法句型
middle + [noun]
用法筆記
Used only before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'this seat is middle' — use 'central' instead.
常見錯誤
2. positioned between the top and bottom of a scale; not at an extreme in terms of
中等；中庸
在大小、等級或程度上不高不低的
positioned between the top and bottom of a scale; not at an extreme in terms of size, rank, importance, or amount.
Vivek comes from a middle-income family and works part-time to pay for college.
Vivek 來自中等收入家庭，他靠兼職賺大學學費。
middle-income family
The restaurant charges middle-range prices for fairly good food.
那家餐廳的價位屬於中檔，食物還算不錯。
Ari is a middle-level manager at a publishing company in Taipei.
Ari 在台北一家出版社擔任中層主管。
Amira bought a handbag of middle quality — not the cheapest, not the finest.
Amira 買了一個中等品質的手提包——不是最便宜的，也不是最精緻的。
The school accepts students of middle ability who are willing to work hard.
那所學校招收能力中等的學生，只要他們願意努力。
文法句型
middle + [abstract noun]
用法筆記
Common in compound adjectives: 'middle-class', 'middle-income', 'middle-level', 'middle-range'. These describe social, economic, or quality categories.
常見錯誤
3. born after at least one older sibling and before at least one younger sibling; p
排行中間的
在家中年齡排名非長非幼的
born after at least one older sibling and before at least one younger sibling; positioned in the middle of a family's birth order.
As the middle child, Christopher often felt he had to work harder for attention.
身為排行中間的孩子，Christopher 常常覺得要更努力才能獲得關注。
middle child — birth-order sense
Felipe is the middle son — his older brother is a doctor and his younger sister is still in school.
Felipe 是排行中間的兒子——他哥哥是醫生，妹妹還在讀書。
Élise says being a middle sister taught her how to negotiate between people.
Élise 說當中間的女兒讓她學會了如何在人與人之間協調。
There were five of us, and I was the middle daughter, always sharing a room.
我們家有五個孩子，我是中間的女兒，總是和別人共用房間。
- second-born
more precise for a family with three children; 'middle child' works for families of any size with at least three children
文法句型
middle + child/son/daughter/brother/sister
用法筆記
Only used with family-role nouns: 'child', 'son', 'daughter', 'brother', 'sister'. 'Middle child syndrome' is a common informal term for the idea that middle children feel overlooked.
4. relating to a historical phase of a language that came after the earliest record
中古；中期
語言發展中介於古代與現代之間的階段
relating to a historical phase of a language that came after the earliest recorded version but before the version spoken today.
Students of English literature sometimes have to read Chaucer in the original Middle English.
英國文學系的學生有時必須閱讀中古英文原文的喬叟作品。
Middle English — language period
Middle Chinese had a complex system of tones that later simplified.
中古漢語有一套複雜的聲調系統，後來簡化了。
The library has a rare copy of a poem written in Middle French.
圖書館裡有一本稀有的中古法語詩集。
Middle Korean is studied mainly through texts from the 15th century.
中古韓語主要透過十五世紀的文獻來研究。
文法句型
Middle + [Language Name]
用法筆記
Always capitalised when paired with a language name: 'Middle English', 'Middle French', 'Middle Korean'. This is a technical term used in linguistics and literary history.