之中
zhīzhōng · HSK 5
among
📦 之中 = 之 (possessive 'of') + 中 (middle) — 'of the middle' = within
之 is a classical possessive/linking particle (like 的), and 中 means middle or center. Stacked together, 之中 literally reads 'of-the-middle' and works as a formal way to say among or within a set.
之 — foot 止 above ground line 一
Originally a pictograph of a foot (止) stepping forward from a baseline, meaning 'to go' or 'to proceed'. Over time the concrete 'going' sense faded, and 之 was borrowed as a grammatical particle marking possession ('of') or as a pronoun ('it'), which became its dominant use in Classical Chinese.
中 — vertical stroke 丨 through enclosure 口
Pictograph of a banner or pole piercing the center of a target or territory, depicting the idea of 'middle' or 'center'. The horizontal frame represents boundaries, and the vertical line marks the central axis. The meaning extended from spatial center to 'middle, central, China' (中国, the Middle Kingdom).