middle jiao; middle burner
Technical term in traditional Chinese medicine referring to the middle section of the triple burner (san jiao), associated with the spleen and stomach and the transformation of food into qi and blood.
The middle jiao governs digestion and absorption.
From Chinese 中焦 (zhōngjiāo), a compound of 中 'middle' and 焦 'burner' or 'jiao', a term used in traditional Chinese medicine.