中介

• Pinyin: zhōng jiè
• Hanzi breakdown: 中 = a line through a rectangle, centre/middle; 介 = 人 (person) flanked by vertical lines, to be between/to mediate

Meaning

Intermediary; agent; middleman; broker. A person or company that acts as a go-between in a transaction or negotiation.

Commonly used in real estate (房屋中介, property agent), employment (人才中介, recruitment agency), and business. 中介费 means agency fee or brokerage commission. Can be used as a noun (the intermediary) or attributively (中介机构, intermediary organisation). Often carries a slightly neutral-to-negative connotation in everyday speech.

Examples

1. 他们通过房屋中介找到了一套满意的出租公寓。 They found a satisfactory rental apartment through a property agent.
2. 这家中介帮助很多外国人在北京找到了合适的工作。 This agency has helped many foreigners find suitable jobs in Beijing.
3. 直接和房东签合同，可以省去中介费。 Signing the contract directly with the landlord can save you the agency fee.

Usage Guide

Context: commerce, real-estate, employment

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 找工作时可以通过中介，也可以直接联系用人单位。(When looking for work, you can go through an agency or contact employers directly.)
• 这家中介的服务费比市场平均水平高出不少。(This agency's service fees are considerably higher than the market average.)

Don't Say

• 把'中介'用于描述外交或正式政府谈判中的调解方 (In formal diplomatic contexts, 中间人 or 调解方 is more appropriate — 中介 is mainly used in commercial and everyday brokerage contexts)

Origin & History

From 中 (middle/centre) and 介 (to be between, a pictograph of a person standing between two vertical lines), literally 'the one who stands in the middle'.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal