中途

• Pinyin: zhōng tú
• Hanzi breakdown: 中 = middle; 途 = 辶 + 余 (movement + remaining — path)

Meaning

Midway; en route; halfway through. The middle portion of a journey or process.

Used for physical journeys (中途停靠 — stop midway), processes (中途退出 — withdraw midway), and careers (中途转行 — change careers midway). 中途岛 is Midway Island. Often implies incompleteness when used with negative outcomes.

Examples

1. 由于机械故障，列车不得不在中途站临时停车检修。 Because of a mechanical failure, the train had to make an unscheduled stop at a midway station for repairs.
2. 他读到博士二年级便中途辍学，转而创业。 He dropped out midway through his second year of a PhD program and turned to starting a business.
3. 这个项目进行到中途却因资金断裂而被迫搁置。 Midway through the project, a funding shortfall forced it to be put on hold.

Usage Guide

Context: travel, processes, careers

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 飞机中途会在新加坡经停两小时。(The plane will stop over in Singapore for two hours midway.)
• 中途放弃太可惜了，再坚持一下就能成功。(Giving up midway would be such a pity — persist a little longer and you'll succeed.)

Don't Say

• 我在工作的中途 — awkward; use 工作进行到一半时 or 工作过程中 for ongoing work

Origin & History

中 (middle) + 途 (road/journey)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal