中奖

• Pinyin: zhòng jiǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 中 = to hit the mark (zhòng, second meaning); 奖 = 将 (general) + 大 (big), a prize or award

Meaning

To win a prize; to win the lottery. To be selected as a winner in a drawing, raffle, or lottery.

Used when someone's ticket or entry is drawn as the winner. 中大奖 means to win the jackpot; 中奖率 means the winning rate or odds. The word carries an element of luck. Can also be used jokingly in colloquial speech, e.g. 我又'中奖'了(I got 'lucky' again — meaning something bad happened to me).

Examples

1. 她买彩票从来没中过奖，但还是坚持每周都买。 She has never won anything from lottery tickets, but she still insists on buying one every week.
2. 那位老人买了一张彩票，没想到真的中奖了。 The old man bought a lottery ticket, and to everyone's surprise, he actually won.
3. 公司年会抽奖活动中，他中奖了，拿到了一台笔记本电脑。 At the company's annual dinner lucky draw, he won a prize — a laptop computer.

Usage Guide

Context: leisure, everyday, commerce

Tone: cheerful

Do Say

• 恭喜你中奖了！快去领奖吧！(Congratulations on winning a prize! Go and collect it quickly!)
• 这次活动的中奖率很高，很多人都能得到礼品。(The winning rate for this event is very high — many people can get gifts.)

Don't Say

• 把'中奖'用于学术或正式比赛的获奖 (Don't use 中奖 for winning an academic or formal competition — use 获奖 or 得奖 instead; 中奖 specifically refers to luck-based draws and lotteries)

Origin & History

From 中 (to hit the mark, second tone) and 奖 (prize/award, 将 general + 大 big, something formally given to someone), literally 'to hit the prize'.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal