‘Zhōng zhuǎn zhàn’ literally means ‘middle-transfer station’—‘zhōng’ (middle), ‘zhuǎn’ (to transfer or switch), and ‘zhàn’ (station). It refers to a place where people, goods, or information change from one transport line, system, or channel to another. Unlike a simple stop or terminal, a transfer hub is specifically designed for seamless connections—for example, switching from a subway line to a bus route, or rerouting cargo between trains and trucks.

This term is commonly used in transportation infrastructure (airports, metro systems, logistics centers), telecommunications (data routing nodes), and even metaphorically—for instance, describing a city that serves as a cultural or economic bridge between regions. It emphasizes function over location: what matters is its role in facilitating transitions, not its geographic position. While ‘zhàn’ alone can mean any kind of station, adding ‘zhōng zhuǎn’ specifies the purpose—intermediary coordination rather than origin or destination.