重

zhòng
HSK 5
#140 most
frequent character
heavy, serious
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

重 began with a person 人 shouldering a heavy bag 東, and 東 also supplied the sound. That gives the first sense, 'person carrying heavy object'. From it came 'heavy', 'weight', and 'priority'. Read chóng, it instead means 'to repeat' and 'again'.

Drawn as: person carrying heavy bag

重 as a component in other characters

sound3 characters
董踵锺

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Example Sentences

这个箱子很重。
zhègè xiāngzǐ hěn zhòng 。
This box is very heavy.
这件事情很严重。
zhè jiàn shìqíng hěn yánzhòng 。
This matter is very serious.
他的负担太重了。
tāde fùdān tàizhòng le 。
His burden is too heavy.

Same Characters, Different Readings

重chóng
to repeat, repetition, again, re-

Words with similar meanings

沉chén
heavy
More commonly used to describe physical weight; can also imply a sense of density.
严重yánzhòng
serious
Used more specifically in a context of severity or intensity, particularly in regards to situations or conditions.

Homophones

中zhòng
to hit (the mark), to be hit by
仲zhòng
second month of a season, middle
众zhòng
(bound form) crowd, multitude
种zhòng
to plant, to grow, to cultivate

Words Starting With 重

重要zhòng yào
important; significant; major
重点zhòng diǎn
emphasis; focal point; priority; key; with the emphasis on; focusing on
重视zhòng shì
to attach importance to sth; to value
重量zhòng liàng
weight
重心zhòng xīn
center of gravity; central core; main part

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Public Lists with 重

Common Adjectives
Descriptive words for size, quality, temperature, mood, and more.
HSK 5
All words for the HSK 5 test
Advanced HSK5 Terms
Vocabulary commonly seen in HSK5 practice, bridging mid-high level usage.