| Simplified | Traditional | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 三 | 三 | Sān | - surname San |
| 三 | 三 | sān | - three - 3 |
| 三C | 三C | sānC | - see 3C[san1 C] |
| 三P | 三P | sānP | - (slang) threesome |
| 三七 | 三七 | sānqī | - pseudoginseng (Panax pseudoginseng), hemostatic herb |
| 三不 | 三不 | sānbù | - the three no's (abbreviated catchphrase) |
| 三世 | 三世 | sānshì | - the Third (of numbered kings) |
| 三井 | 三井 | Sānjǐng | - Mitsui (Japanese company) |
| 三亚 | 三亞 | Sānyà | - Sanya prefecture level city, Hainan |
| 三仇 | 三仇 | sānchóu | - animosity or resentment towards three groups (the bureaucrats, the wealthy, and the police) due to perceived abuse of power |
| 三代 | 三代 | sāndài | - third-generation |
| 三伏 | 三伏 | sānfú | - three periods forming the hottest periods of summer, from mid-July to mid-August, namely: 初伏 (mid-July), 中伏 (late July to early August), 末伏 (mid-August) |
| 三倍 | 三倍 | sānbèi | - triple |
| 三价 | 三價 | sānjià | - trivalent |
| 三光 | 三光 | sānguāng | - the sun, the moon, and the stars |
| 三两 | 三兩 | sānliǎng | - two or three |
| 三八 | 三八 | sānbā | - International Women's Day 婦女節|妇女节[Fu4 nu:3 jie2], 8th March - foolish - stupid |
| 三分 | 三分 | sānfēn | - somewhat - to some degree |
| 三包 | 三包 | sānbāo | - "three-guarantee service": repair, exchange, refund |
| 三十 | 三十 | sānshí | - thirty - 30 |
| 三原 | 三原 | Sānyuán | - Sanyuan County in Xianyang 咸陽|咸阳[Xian2 yang2], Shaanxi |
| 三反 | 三反 | sānfǎn | - "Three Anti" campaign (anti-corruption, anti-waste, anti-bureaucracy), early PRC purge of 1951-52 |
| 三台 | 三台 | Sāntái | - Santai county in Mianyang 綿陽|绵阳[Mian2 yang2], north Sichuan |
| 三国 | 三國 | Sānguó | - Three Kingdoms period (220-280) in Chinese history - several Three Kingdoms periods in Korean history, esp. from 1st century AD to unification under Silla 新羅|新罗[Xin1 luo2] in 658 |
| 三围 | 三圍 | sānwéi | - BWH, abbr. for a woman's three measurements, namely: bust 胸圍|胸围[xiong1 wei2], waist 腰圍|腰围[yao1 wei2] and hip 臀圍|臀围[tun2 wei2] |
| 三宝 | 三寶 | sānbǎo | - the Three Precious Treasures of Buddhism, namely: the Buddha 佛, the Dharma 法 (his teaching), and the Sangha 僧 (his monastic order) |
| 三山 | 三山 | Sānshān | - Sanshan district of Wuhu city 蕪湖市|芜湖市[Wu2 hu2 shi4], Anhui |
| 三峡 | 三峽 | Sānxiá | - Three Gorges on the Chang Jiang or Yangtze, namely: Qutang Gorge 瞿塘峽|瞿塘峡[Qu1 tang2 Xia2], Wuxia Gorge 巫峽|巫峡[Wu1 Xia2] and Xiling Gorge 西陵峽|西陵峡[Xi1 ling2 Xia2] - Sanxia or Sanhsia town in New Taipei City 新北市[Xin1 bei3 shi4], Taiwan |
| 三度 | 三度 | sāndù | - third (musical interval) |
| 三厢 | 三廂 | sānxiāng | - sedan (automobile body type) |
| 三废 | 三廢 | sānfèi | - three types of waste product, namely: waste water 廢水|废水[fei4 shui3], exhaust gas 廢氣|废气[fei4 qi4], industrial slag 廢渣|废渣[fei4 zha1] |
| 三弦 | 三弦 | sānxián | - sanxian, large family of 3-stringed plucked musical instruments, with snakeskin covered wooden soundbox and long neck, used in folk music, opera and Chinese orchestra |
| 三振 | 三振 | sānzhèn | - to strike out - strikeout (baseball, softball) - (Tw) to ditch - to eliminate from consideration |
| 三教 | 三教 | SānJiào | - the Three Doctrines (Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism) |
| 三族 | 三族 | sānzú | - (old) three generations (father, self and sons) - three clans (your own, your mother's, your wife's) |
| 三明 | 三明 | Sānmíng | - Sanming prefecture level city in Fujian |
| 三星 | 三星 | Sānxīng | - Sanxing or Sanhsing township in Yilan county 宜蘭縣|宜兰县[Yi2 lan2 xian4], Taiwan - Samsung (South Korean electronics company) |
| 三星 | 三星 | sānxīng | - three major stars of the Three Stars 參宿|参宿[Shen1 xiu4] Chinese constellation - the belt of Orion - three spirits 福[fu2], 祿|禄[lu4], and 壽|寿[shou4] associated with the Three Stars 參宿|参宿[Shen1 xiu4] Chinese constellation |
| 三春 | 三春 | sānchūn | - the three spring months |
| 三昧 | 三昧 | sānmèi | - Samadhi (Buddhist term) |
| 三更 | 三更 | sāngēng | - third of the five night watch periods 23:00-01:00 (old) - midnight - also pr. [san1 jin1] |
| 三曹 | 三曹 | SānCáo | - the Three Caos (Cao Cao 曹操 and his sons Cao Pi 曹丕 and Cao Zhi 曹植), who established the Wei or Cao Wei dynasty 曹魏, and were all three noted poets and calligraphers |
| 三月 | 三月 | Sānyuè | - March - third month (of the lunar year) |
| 三次 | 三次 | sāncì | - third - three times - (math.) degree three, cubic (equation) |
| 三民 | 三民 | Sānmín | - Sanmin district of Kaohsiung city 高雄市[Gao1 xiong2 shi4], south Taiwan |
| 三水 | 三水 | Sānshuǐ | - Sanshui district of Foshan city 佛山市[Fo2 shan1 shi4], Guangdong |
| 三河 | 三河 | Sānhé | - Three rivers - Sanhe county level city in Langfang 廊坊[Lang2 fang2], Hebei |
| 三洋 | 三洋 | Sānyáng | - Sanyō, Japanese electronics company |
| 三流 | 三流 | sānliú | - third-rate - inferior |
| 三湾 | 三灣 | Sānwān | - Sanwan township in Miaoli county 苗栗縣|苗栗县[Miao2 li4 xian4], northwest Taiwan |
| 三焦 | 三焦 | sānjiāo | - triple foci, the three visceral cavities (TCM) |
| 三田 | 三田 | Sāntián | - Mita, Sanda, Mitsuda etc (Japanese surname or place name) |
| 三田 | 三田 | sāntián | - 3 annual hunting bouts - 3 qi points |
| 三甲 | 三甲 | sānjiǎ | - 3rd rank of candidates who passed the imperial examination |
| 三略 | 三略 | Sānlüè | - see 黃石公三略|黄石公三略[Huang2 Shi2 gong1 San1 lu:e4] |
| 三皇 | 三皇 | sānhuáng | - Three Sovereigns, between Gods and Emperors in third millennium BC - usually listed as Suiren 燧人[Sui4 ren2], Fuxi 伏羲[Fu2 Xi1], trapping and writing, Shennong or Farmer God 神農|神农[Shen2 nong2] |
| 三穗 | 三穗 | Sānsuì | - Sansui county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture 黔東南州|黔东南州[Qian2 dong1 nan2 zhou1], Guizhou |
| 三级 | 三級 | sānjí | - grade 3 - third class - category C |
| 三维 | 三維 | sānwéi | - three dimensional - 3D |
| 三义 | 三義 | Sānyì | - Sanyi township in Miaoli county 苗栗縣|苗栗县[Miao2 li4 xian4], northwest Taiwan |
| 三膲 | 三膲 | sānjiāo | - variant of 三焦[san1 jiao1], triple foci, the three visceral cavities (TCM) |
| 三自 | 三自 | Sānzì | - abbr. for 三自愛國教會|三自爱国教会[San1 zi4 Ai4 guo2 Jiao4 hui4], Three-Self Patriotic Movement |
| 三芝 | 三芝 | Sānzhī | - Sanzhi or Sanchih township in New Taipei City 新北市[Xin1 bei3 shi4], Taiwan |
| 三菱 | 三菱 | Sānlíng | - Mitsubishi |
| 三藏 | 三藏 | Sānzàng | - Tripitaka (602-664) Tang dynasty Buddhist monk and translator, who traveled to India 629-645 - same as 玄奘 |
| 三苏 | 三蘇 | SānSū | - the Three Su father and sons - refers to northern Song literati Su Xun 蘇洵|苏洵, Su Shi 蘇軾|苏轼 and Su Zhe 蘇轍|苏辙 |
| 三角 | 三角 | sānjiǎo | - triangle |
| 三军 | 三軍 | sānjūn | - (in former times) upper, middle and lower army - army of right, center and left - (in modern times) the three armed services: Army, Navy and Air Force |
| 三农 | 三農 | sānnóng | - see 三農問題|三农问题[san1 nong2 wen4 ti2] |
| 三退 | 三退 | sāntuì | - withdrawal from the Communist Party, the Communist Youth League, and the Young Pioneers of China |
| 三通 | 三通 | sāntōng | - T-joint - T-piece - T-pipe - three links |
| 三重 | 三重 | Sānchóng | - Sanchong or Sanch'ung city in New Taipei City 新北市[Xin1 bei3 shi4], Taiwan - Mie Prefecture in central Japan |
| 三重 | 三重 | sānchóng | - treble |
| 三键 | 三鍵 | sānjiàn | - triple bond (chemistry) - triple link |
| 三门 | 三門 | Sānmén | - Sanmen county in Taizhou 台州[Tai1 zhou1], Zhejiang |
| 三音 | 三音 | sānyīn | - third (musical interval, e.g. do-mi) |
| 三项 | 三項 | sānxiàng | - three items - three events - three terms - tri- - trinomial, ternary (math.) - triathlon (abbr. for 三項全能|三项全能) |
| 三体 | 三體 | sāntǐ | - trisomy |
| 三魂 | 三魂 | sānhún | - three immortal souls in Daoism, representing spirit and intellect |
| 三鲜 | 三鮮 | sānxiān | - three fresh ingredients (in cooking) |
| 三鹿 | 三鹿 | SānLù | - Three Deer (brand) |
| 其三 | 其三 | qísān | - thirdly - the third |
| 再三 | 再三 | zàisān | - over and over again - again and again |
| 初三 | 初三 | chūsān | - third year in junior middle school |
| 十三 | 十三 | shísān | - thirteen - 13 |
| 大三 | 大三 | dàsān | - third-year university student |
| 小三 | 小三 | xiǎosān | - mistress - the other woman (coll.) - grade 3 in elementary school |
| 张三 | 張三 | ZhāngSān | - John Doe - Zhang San, name for an unspecified person, first of a series of three: 張三|张三, 李四[Li3 Si4], 王五[Wang2 Wu3] Tom, Dick and Harry |
| 瘪三 | 癟三 | biēsān | - a wretched-looking tramp who lives by begging or stealing |
| 周三 | 週三 | Zhōusān | - Wednesday |
| 长三 | 長三 | chángsān | - (old) high class prostitute |
| 阿三 | 阿三 | āsān | - (derog.) an Indian |
| 三K党 | 三K黨 | SānKdǎng | - Ku Klux Klan - KKK |
| 三七仔 | 三七仔 | sānqīzǐ | - (slang) pimp |
| 三七开 | 三七開 | sānqīkāi | - ratio seventy to thirty - thirty percent failure, seventy percent success |
| 三不知 | 三不知 | sānbùzhī | - to know nothing about the beginning, the middle or the end - to know nothing at all |
| 三不管 | 三不管 | sānbùguǎn | - of undetermined status - unregulated |
| 三九天 | 三九天 | sānjiǔtiān | - the twenty seven days after the Winter Solstice, reputed to be the coldest days of the year |
| 三亚市 | 三亞市 | Sānyàshì | - Sanya prefecture level city, Hainan |
| 三人行 | 三人行 | sānrénxíng | - (slang) threesome |
| 三伏天 | 三伏天 | sānfútiān | - three periods forming the hottest periods of summer, from mid-July to mid-August, namely: 初伏 (mid-July), 中伏 (late July to early August), 末伏 (mid-August) |
| 三元区 | 三元區 | Sānyuánqū | - Sanyuan district of Sanming city 三明市[San1 ming2 shi4], Fujian |
| 三元醇 | 三元醇 | sānyuánchún | - propyl alcohol C3H7OH |
| 三八线 | 三八線 | sānbāxiàn | - thirty eighth parallel, forming the DMZ border between North and South Korea |
| 三分熟 | 三分熟 | sānfēnshú | - cooked three minutes - rare (of steak) |
| 三原则 | 三原則 | sānyuánzé | - the Three Principles (in many contexts) |
| 三原县 | 三原縣 | SānyuánXiàn | - Sanyuan County in Xianyang 咸陽|咸阳[Xian2 yang2], Shaanxi |
| 三叉戟 | 三叉戟 | sānchājǐ | - trident |
| 三台县 | 三台縣 | Sāntáixiàn | - Santai county in Mianyang 綿陽|绵阳[Mian2 yang2], north Sichuan |
| 三合一 | 三合一 | sānhéyī | - three in one - triple |
| 三合土 | 三合土 | sānhétǔ | - mortar - concrete - cement |
| 三合星 | 三合星 | sānhéxīng | - triple star system |
| 三合会 | 三合會 | sānhéhuì | - triad, Chinese crime gang - triad society, anti-Manchu secret society in Qing-dynasty China |
| 三味线 | 三味線 | sānwèixiàn | - shamisen, three-stringed Japanese musical instrument |
| 三和弦 | 三和弦 | sānhéxián | - triad - musical chord of three notes, such as major triad do-mi-so |
| 三国志 | 三國志 | Sānguózhì | - History of the Three Kingdoms, fourth of the 24 dynastic histories 二十四史[Er4 shi2 si4 Shi3], composed by Chen Shou 陳壽|陈寿[Chen2 Shou4] in 289 during Jin Dynasty 晉朝|晋朝[Jin4 chao2], 65 scrolls |
| 三地门 | 三地門 | Sāndìmén | - Santimen township in Pingtung County 屏東縣|屏东县[Ping2 dong1 Xian4], Taiwan |
| 三夷教 | 三夷教 | sānyíjiào | - the three foreign religions (Nestorianism, Manicheanism and Zoroastrianism) |
| 三字经 | 三字經 | SānzìJīng | - Three Character Classic, 13th century reading primer consisting of Confucian tenets in lines of 3 characters |
| 三字经 | 三字經 | sānzìjīng | - (slang) swearword - four-letter word |
| 三家村 | 三家村 | Sānjiācūn | - lit. village of three households - name of essay column in Beijing newspaper from 1961-1966, written by Deng Tuo 鄧拓|邓拓, Wu Han 吳晗|吴晗 and Liao Mosha 廖沫沙, criticized as anti-party during the Cultural Revolution |
| 三宝鸟 | 三寶鳥 | sānbǎoniǎo | - (Chinese bird species) oriental dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) |
| 三屉桌 | 三屜桌 | sāntízhuō | - three-drawer desk (traditional Chinese piece of furniture) |
| 三山区 | 三山區 | Sānshānqū | - Sanshan district of Wuhu city 蕪湖市|芜湖市[Wu2 hu2 shi4], Anhui |
| 三岔口 | 三岔口 | Sānchàkǒu | - At the Crossroads, famous opera, based on a story from 水滸傳|水浒传[Shui3 hu3 Zhuan4] |
| 三峡镇 | 三峽鎮 | Sānxiázhèn | - Sanxia or Sanhsia town in New Taipei City 新北市[Xin1 bei3 shi4], Taiwan |
| 三得利 | 三得利 | Sāndélì | - Suntory, Japanese beverage company |
| 三手病 | 三手病 | sānshǒubìng | - repetitive strain injury (resulting from frequent use of one's thumb, wrist etc) |
| 三拗汤 | 三拗湯 | sānàotāng | - san'ao decoction (TCM) |
| 三文治 | 三文治 | sānwénzhì | - sandwich (loanword) |
| 三文鱼 | 三文魚 | sānwényú | - salmon (loanword) |
| 三明市 | 三明市 | Sānmíngshì | - Sanming prefecture level city in Fujian |
| 三明治 | 三明治 | sānmíngzhì | - sandwich (loanword) - CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 三星乡 | 三星鄉 | Sānxīngxiāng | - Sanxing or Sanhsing township in Yilan county 宜蘭縣|宜兰县[Yi2 lan2 xian4], Taiwan |
| 三月份 | 三月份 | sānyuèfèn | - March |
| 三月街 | 三月街 | SānyuèJiē | - Third Month Fair, traditional festival of the Bai Nationality 白族[Bai2 zu2] |
| 三柱门 | 三柱門 | sānzhùmén | - (sports) (cricket) wicket (set of stumps and bails) |
| 三框栏 | 三框欄 | sānkuànglán | - name of radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 22) - see also 匚[fang1] |
| 三极管 | 三極管 | sānjíguǎn | - triode (vacuum tube or transistor) |
| 三次幂 | 三次冪 | sāncìmì | - cube (third power, math.) |
| 三次方 | 三次方 | sāncìfāng | - cube (third power, math.) |
| 三归依 | 三歸依 | sānguīyī | - the Three Pillars of Faith (Buddha, dharma, sangha) - see also 三寶|三宝[san1 bao3] |
| 三段论 | 三段論 | sānduànlùn | - syllogism (deduction in logic) |
| 三毛猫 | 三毛貓 | sānmáomāo | - tortoiseshell cat - calico cat |
| 三民区 | 三民區 | Sānmínqū | - Sanmin district of Kaohsiung city 高雄市[Gao1 xiong2 shi4], south Taiwan |
| 三民乡 | 三民鄉 | Sānmínxiāng | - Sanmin district of Kaohsiung city 高雄市[Gao1 xiong2 shi4], south Taiwan |
| 三水区 | 三水區 | Sānshuǐqū | - Sanshui district of Foshan city 佛山市[Fo2 shan1 shi4], Guangdong |
| 三水县 | 三水縣 | Sānshuǐxiàn | - Sanshui county in Guangdong |
| 三江源 | 三江源 | Sānjiāngyuán | - Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, high plateau region of Qinghai containing the headwaters of Changjiang or Yangtze, Huanghe or Yellow River and Lancang or Mekong River |
| 三河市 | 三河市 | Sānhéshì | - Sanhe county level city in Langfang 廊坊[Lang2 fang2], Hebei |
| 三河县 | 三河縣 | Sānhéxiàn | - Sanhe county in Beijing |
| 三法司 | 三法司 | sānfǎsī | - the three judicial chief ministries (in imperial China) |
| 三温暖 | 三溫暖 | sānwēnnuǎn | - sauna (loanword) (Tw) |
| 三湾乡 | 三灣鄉 | Sānwānxiāng | - Sanwan township in Miaoli county 苗栗縣|苗栗县[Miao2 li4 xian4], northwest Taiwan |
| 三班倒 | 三班倒 | sānbāndǎo | - three-shift system (work rostering) |
| 三用表 | 三用表 | sānyòngbiǎo | - instrument console (diving) |
| 三叠纪 | 三疊紀 | Sāndiéjì | - Triassic (geological period 250-205m years ago) |
| 三相点 | 三相點 | sānxiàngdiǎn | - triple point (thermodynamics) |
| 三碳糖 | 三碳糖 | sāntàntáng | - triose (CH20)3, monosaccharide with three carbon atoms, such as glyceraldehyde 甘油醛[gan1 you2 quan2] |
| 三秒胶 | 三秒膠 | sānmiǎojiāo | - superglue |
| 三棱草 | 三稜草 | sānléngcǎo | - sedge herb (Cyperus rotundus) |
| 三棱镜 | 三稜鏡 | sānléngjìng | - (triangular) prism |
| 三穗县 | 三穗縣 | Sānsuìxiàn | - Sansui county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture 黔東南州|黔东南州[Qian2 dong1 nan2 zhou1], Guizhou |
| 三等分 | 三等分 | sānděngfēn | - trisection (math.) - trisecting an angle |
| 三级片 | 三級片 | sānjípiàn | - third category movie (containing sexual or violent content) |
| 三级跳 | 三級跳 | sānjítiào | - triple jump (athletics) - hop, skip and jump |
| 三义乡 | 三義鄉 | Sānyìxiāng | - Sanyi township in Miaoli county 苗栗縣|苗栗县[Miao2 li4 xian4], northwest Taiwan |
| 三联管 | 三聯管 | sānliánguǎn | - triplet |
| 三胞胎 | 三胞胎 | sānbāotāi | - triplets |
| 三脚架 | 三腳架 | sānjiǎojià | - tripod - derrick crane |
| 三脚猫 | 三腳貓 | sānjiǎomāo | - jack of all trades |
| 三色堇 | 三色堇 | sānsèjǐn | - pansy |
| 三色猫 | 三色貓 | sānsèmāo | - calico cat |
| 三芝乡 | 三芝鄉 | Sānzhīxiāng | - Sanzhi or Sanchih township in New Taipei City 新北市[Xin1 bei3 shi4], Taiwan |
| 三叶草 | 三葉草 | sānyècǎo | - clover - trefoil |
| 三叶虫 | 三葉蟲 | sānyèchóng | - trilobite |
| 三藩市 | 三藩市 | Sānfānshì | - San Francisco (California) |
| 三角债 | 三角債 | sānjiǎozhài | - chain of debt |
| 三角凳 | 三角凳 | sānjiǎodèng | - three-legged stool |
| 三角学 | 三角學 | sānjiǎoxué | - trigonometry |
| 三角座 | 三角座 | Sānjiǎozuò | - Triangulum (constellation) |
| 三角形 | 三角形 | sānjiǎoxíng | - triangle |
| 三角板 | 三角板 | sānjiǎobǎn | - set square - triangle (for drawing right angles) |
| 三角法 | 三角法 | sānjiǎofǎ | - trigonometry (math.) |
| 三角洲 | 三角洲 | sānjiǎozhōu | - delta (geography) |
| 三角肌 | 三角肌 | sānjiǎojī | - deltoid muscle (over the shoulder) |
| 三角裤 | 三角褲 | sānjiǎokù | - briefs - panties |
| 三角锥 | 三角錐 | sānjiǎozhuī | - triangular pyramid (math.) |
| 三角龙 | 三角龍 | sānjiǎolóng | - triceratops |
| 三论宗 | 三論宗 | Sānlùnzōng | - Three Treatise School (Buddhism) |
| 三貂角 | 三貂角 | Sāndiāojiǎo | - Cape San Diego or Santiao, easternmost point of Taiwan Island |
| 三足乌 | 三足烏 | sānzúwū | - three-legged Golden Crow that lives in the sun (in northeast Asian and Chinese mythology) - Korean: samjog'o |
| 三趾鸥 | 三趾鷗 | sānzhǐōu | - (Chinese bird species) black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) |
| 三轮车 | 三輪車 | sānlúnchē | - pedicab - tricycle |
| 三迭纪 | 三迭紀 | Sāndiéjì | - Triassic (geological period 250-205m years ago) - also written 三疊紀|三叠纪 |
| 三连胜 | 三連勝 | sānliánshèng | - hat-trick (sports) |
| 三边形 | 三邊形 | sānbiānxíng | - triangle |
| 三部曲 | 三部曲 | sānbùqǔ | - trilogy |
| 三都县 | 三都縣 | Sāndūxiàn | - Sandu Shuizu autonomous county in Qiannan Buyei and Miao autonomous prefecture 黔南州[Qian2 nan2 zhou1], Guizhou |
| 三里屯 | 三里屯 | Sānlǐtún | - Sanlitun (Beijing street name) |
| 三里河 | 三里河 | Sānlǐhé | - Sanlihe (Beijing street name) |
| 三重奏 | 三重奏 | sānchóngzòu | - trio (musical ensemble) |
| 三重市 | 三重市 | Sānchóngshì | - Sanchong or Sanch'ung city in New Taipei City 新北市[Xin1 bei3 shi4], Taiwan |
| 三重县 | 三重縣 | Sānchóngxiàn | - Mi'e prefecture in central Japan |
| 三门峡 | 三門峽 | Sānménxiá | - Sanmenxia prefecture level city in Henan |
| 三门县 | 三門縣 | Sānménxiàn | - Sanmen county in Taizhou 台州[Tai1 zhou1], Zhejiang |
| 三阿姨 | 三阿姨 | sānāyí | - auntie, third eldest of sisters in mother's family |
| 三只手 | 三隻手 | sānzhīshǒu | - pickpocket |
| 三音度 | 三音度 | sānyīndù | - third (musical interval) |
| 三项式 | 三項式 | sānxiàngshì | - trinomial (math.) |
| 三头肌 | 三頭肌 | sāntóujī | - triceps muscle - triceps brachii |
| 三点水 | 三點水 | sāndiǎnshuǐ | - name of "water" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 85) - see also 氵[shui3] |
| 丙三醇 | 丙三醇 | bǐngsānchún | - glycerine - same as 甘油 |
| 前三甲 | 前三甲 | qiánsānjiǎ | - top three |
| 十三日 | 十三日 | shísānrì | - thirteenth day of a month |
| 十三经 | 十三經 | Shísānjīng | - the Thirteen Confucian Classics, namely: Book of Songs 詩經|诗经[Shi1 jing1], Book of History 尚書|尚书[Shang4 shu1], Rites of Zhou 周禮|周礼[Zhou1 li3], Rites and Ceremonies 儀禮|仪礼[Yi2 li3], Classic of Rites 禮記|礼记[Li3 ji4], Book of Changes 易經|易经[Yi4 jing1], Mr Zuo's Annals 左傳|左传[Zuo3 Zhuan4], Mr Gongyang's Annals 公羊傳|公羊传[Gong1 yang2 Zhuan4], Mr Guliang's Annals 穀梁傳|谷梁传[Gu3 liang2 Zhuan4], The Analects 論語|论语[Lun2 yu3], Erya 爾雅|尔雅[Er3 ya3], Classic of Filial Piety 孝經|孝经[Xiao4 jing1], Mencius 孟子[Meng4 zi3] |
| 十三点 | 十三點 | shísāndiǎn | - half-witted - nitwit |
| 吴三桂 | 吳三桂 | WúSānguì | - Wu Sangui (1612-1678), Chinese general who let the Manchus into China and helped them establish the Qing Dynasty, later leading a revolt against Qing in an effort to start his own dynasty |
| 唐三藏 | 唐三藏 | Tángsānzàng | - Tripitaka (602-664) Tang dynasty Buddhist monk and translator, who traveled to India 629-645 - same as 玄奘 |
| 地三鲜 | 地三鮮 | dìsānxiān | - dish consisting of stir-fried potato, eggplant and green pepper |
| 大三度 | 大三度 | dàsāndù | - major third (musical interval) |
| 小三度 | 小三度 | xiǎosāndù | - minor third (musical interval) |
| 年三十 | 年三十 | niánsānshí | - last day of the lunar year - Chinese New Year's Eve |
| 建三江 | 建三江 | Jiànsānjiāng | - Jiansanjiang, large-scale agricultural development in Sanjiang river plain in Heilongjiang |
| 星期三 | 星期三 | Xīngqīsān | - Wednesday |
| 东三省 | 東三省 | DōngsānShěng | - the three provinces of Northeast China, namely: Liaoning Province 遼寧省|辽宁省[Liao2 ning2 Sheng3], Jilin Province 吉林省[Ji2 lin2 Sheng3] and Heilongjiang Province 黑龍江省|黑龙江省[Hei1 long2 jiang1 Sheng3] |
| 毛邓三 | 毛鄧三 | MáoDèngSān | - Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory & the Three Represents - abbr. for 毛澤東思想|毛泽东思想[Mao2 Ze2 dong1 Si1 xiang3], 鄧小平理論|邓小平理论[Deng4 Xiao3 ping2 Li3 lun4] and 三個代表|三个代表[San1 ge4 Dai4 biao3] |
| 珠三角 | 珠三角 | ZhūSānjiǎo | - Pearl River Delta |
| 礼拜三 | 禮拜三 | Lǐbàisān | - Wednesday |
| 第三位 | 第三位 | dìsānwèi | - third place |
| 第三十 | 第三十 | dìsānshí | - thirtieth |
| 第三方 | 第三方 | dìsānfāng | - third party |
| 第三纪 | 第三紀 | dìsānjì | - third period - tertiary (geological era since the extinction of the dinosaurs at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary 65 million years ago) |
| 第三者 | 第三者 | dìsānzhě | - sb who is romantically involved with sb already in a committed relationship - the other woman - the other man - third person - third party (in dispute) - disinterested party - number three in a list |
| 第三声 | 第三聲 | dìsānshēng | - third tone in Mandarin - falling-rising tone |
| 老三篇 | 老三篇 | lǎosānpiān | - Lao San Pian, three short essays written by Mao Zedong before the PRC was established |
| 金三角 | 金三角 | Jīnsānjiǎo | - Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia) |
| 金泳三 | 金泳三 | JīnYǒngsān | - Kim Young-sam (1927-), South Korean politician, president 1993-1998 |
| 钱三强 | 錢三強 | QiánSānqiáng | - Qian Sanqiang |
| 长三角 | 長三角 | ChángSānjiǎo | - Yangtze River Delta - abbr. for 長江三角洲|长江三角洲 |
| 雌三醇 | 雌三醇 | císānchún | - estriol |
| 马三家 | 馬三家 | Mǎsānjiā | - Masanjia town in Yuhong District 于洪區|于洪区[Yu2 hong2 Qu1] in Liaoning, known for its labor camp where Falun Gong practitioners etc are believed to have been detained and tortured |
| 马三立 | 馬三立 | MǎSānlì | - Ma Sanli (1914-2003), Chinese comedian |
| 一倡三叹 | 一倡三歎 | yīchàngsāntàn | - (of literature, music) deeply moving (idiom) |
| 一唱三叹 | 一唱三嘆 | yīchàngsāntàn | - see 一倡三歎|一倡三叹[yi1 chang4 san1 tan4] |
| 一日三秋 | 一日三秋 | yīrìsānqiū | - a single day apart seems like three seasons (idiom) |
| 一日三餐 | 一日三餐 | yīrìsāncān | - to have three meals a day |
| 一板三眼 | 一板三眼 | yībǎnsānyǎn | - lit. one strong beat and three weak beats in a measure of music (four beats in the bar) (idiom); fig. scrupulous attention to detail |
| 一波三折 | 一波三折 | yībōsānzhé | - calligraphic flourish with many twists - fig. many twists and turns |
| 三三两两 | 三三兩兩 | sānsānliǎngliǎng | - in twos and threes |
| 三中全会 | 三中全會 | SānZhōngQuánhuì | - Third Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party, currently held every five years |
| 三五成群 | 三五成群 | sānwǔchéngqún | - forming groups of three or squads of five (idiom); people stand around in small clumps |
| 三人口气 | 三人口氣 | sānrénkǒuqì | - third person (grammar) |
| 三人成虎 | 三人成虎 | sānrénchénghǔ | - three men talking makes a tiger (idiom); repeated rumor becomes a fact |
| 三代同堂 | 三代同堂 | sāndàitóngtáng | - three generations under one roof |
| 三令五申 | 三令五申 | sānlìngwǔshēn | - to order again and again (idiom) |
| 三位一体 | 三位一體 | SānwèiYītǐ | - Holy Trinity - trinity |
| 三位博士 | 三位博士 | sānwèibóshì | - the Magi - the Three Wise Kings from the East in the biblical nativity story |
| 三侠五义 | 三俠五義 | Sānxiáwǔyì | - Sanxia wuyi (lit. Three knight-errants and five righteous one), novel edited from stories of late Qing dynasty pinghua 評話|评话 master storyteller Shi Yukun 石玉昆 |
| 三个世界 | 三個世界 | sāngèshìjiè | - three worlds, i.e. Western capitalism, Soviet communism and the non-aligned countries |
| 三个代表 | 三個代表 | SāngèDàibiǎo | - the Three Represents enunciated by Jiang Zemin 江澤民|江泽民 as the duty of the Chinese Communist party in 2001, namely: to represent productivity of an advanced society, forward progress of advanced culture and the fundamental interests of the people |
| 三催四请 | 三催四請 | sāncuīsìqǐng | - to coax and plead |
| 三元运算 | 三元運算 | sānyuányùnsuàn | - ternary operator (computing) |
| 三光政策 | 三光政策 | SānguāngZhèngcè | - Three Alls Policy (kill all, burn all, loot all), Japanese policy in China during WWII |
| 三公消费 | 三公消費 | sāngōngxiāofèi | - see 三公經費|三公经费[san1 gong1 jing1 fei4] |
| 三公经费 | 三公經費 | sāngōngjīngfèi | - "three public expenditures" of the PRC government, i.e. air travel, food and entertainment, and public vehicles |
| 三分之一 | 三分之一 | sānfēnzhīyī | - one third |
| 三十二相 | 三十二相 | sānshíèrxiàng | - the thirty-two physical characteristics of Buddha |
| 三十六计 | 三十六計 | sānshíliùjì | - The Thirty-Six Stratagems, a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in politics, war, and in civil interaction - all the possible schemes and stratagems |
| 三十而立 | 三十而立 | sānshíérlì | - thirty years old and therefore independent (idiom, from Confucius) |
| 三叉神经 | 三叉神經 | sānchāshénjīng | - trigeminal nerve |
| 三反运动 | 三反運動 | sānfǎnyùndòng | - "Three Anti" campaign (anti-corruption, anti-waste, anti-bureaucracy), early PRC purge of 1951-52 |
| 三国史记 | 三國史記 | Sānguóshǐjì | - History of Three Kingdoms (Korean: Samguk Sagi), the oldest extant Korean history, compiled under Kim Busik 金富軾|金富轼[Jin1 Fu4 shi4] in 1145. The three kingdoms are Goguryeo 高句麗|高句丽[Gao1 gou1 li2], Baekje 百濟|百济[Bai3 ji4], Silla 新羅|新罗[Xin1 luo2]. |
| 三国演义 | 三國演義 | SānguóYǎnyì | - Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong 羅貫中|罗贯中[Luo2 Guan4 zhong1], one of the Four Classic Novels of Chinese literature - a fictional account of the Three Kingdoms at the break-up of the Han around 200 AD, consistently portraying Liu Bei's Shu Han 劉備, 蜀漢|刘备, 蜀汉 as virtuous heroes and Cao Cao's Wei 曹操, 魏 as tyrannical villains |
| 三地门乡 | 三地門鄉 | Sāndìménxiāng | - Santimen township in Pingtung County 屏東縣|屏东县[Ping2 dong1 Xian4], Taiwan |
| 三天两头 | 三天兩頭 | sāntiānliǎngtóu | - lit. twice every three days (idiom); practically every day - frequently |
| 三姑六婆 | 三姑六婆 | sāngūliùpó | - women with disreputable or illegal professions (idiom) |
| 三官大帝 | 三官大帝 | sānguāndàdì | - the three gods in charge of heaven, earth and water (Daoism) |
| 三宝太监 | 三寶太監 | Sānbǎotàijiàn | - Sanbao Eunuch, official title of Zheng He 鄭和|郑和[Zheng4 He2] - also written 三保太監|三保太监 |
| 三峡大坝 | 三峽大壩 | SānxiáDàbà | - Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River |
| 三峡水库 | 三峽水庫 | Sānxiáshuǐkù | - Three gorges reservoir on the Changjiang or Yangtze |
| 三从四德 | 三從四德 | sāncóngsìdé | - Confucian moral injunctions for women, namely: obey in turn three men father, husband and son, plus the four virtues of morality 德, physical charm 容, propriety in speech 言 and efficiency in needlework 功 |
| 三心二意 | 三心二意 | sānxīnèryì | - in two minds about sth (idiom) - half-hearted - shilly-shallying |
| 三思而行 | 三思而行 | sānsīérxíng | - think three times then go (idiom); don't act before you've thought it through carefully |
| 三振出局 | 三振出局 | sānzhènchūjú | - see 三振[san1 zhen4] |
| 三教九流 | 三教九流 | sānjiàojiǔliú | - the Three Religions (Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism) and Nine Schools (Confucians, Daoists, Yin-Yang, Legalists, Logicians, Mohists, Political Strategists, Eclectics, Agriculturists) - fig. people from all trades (often derog.) |
| 三旬九食 | 三旬九食 | sānxúnjiǔshí | - lit. to have only nine meals in thirty days (idiom) - fig. (of a family) on the brink of starvation - in dire straits |
| 三星集团 | 三星集團 | SānxīngJítuán | - Samsung Group |
| 三更半夜 | 三更半夜 | sāngēngbànyè | - in the depth of the night - very late at night |
| 三朋四友 | 三朋四友 | sānpéngsìyǒu | - friends - cronies |
| 三权分立 | 三權分立 | sānquánfēnlì | - separation of powers |
| 三权鼎立 | 三權鼎立 | sānquándǐnglì | - separation of powers |
| 三次方程 | 三次方程 | sāncìfāngchéng | - cubic equation (math.) |
| 三次曲线 | 三次曲線 | sāncìqūxiàn | - cubic curve (geometry) |
| 三民主义 | 三民主義 | sānmínzhǔyì | - Dr Sun Yat-sen's 孫中山|孙中山 Three principles of the people (late 1890s) |
| 三氟化硼 | 三氟化硼 | sānfúhuàpéng | - boron trifluoride |
| 三氯化磷 | 三氯化磷 | sānlǜhuàlín | - phosphorous trichloride |
| 三氯化铁 | 三氯化鐵 | sānlǜhuàtiě | - ferric chloride FeCl3 |
| 三氯已烯 | 三氯已烯 | sānlǜyǐxī | - trichloroethylene |
| 三氯已烷 | 三氯已烷 | sānlǜyǐwán | - trichloroethane |
| 三氯氧磷 | 三氯氧磷 | sānlǜyǎnglín | - phosphorous oxychloride |
| 三氯氰胺 | 三氯氰胺 | sānlǜqíngàn | - melamine C3H6N6 |
| 三氯甲烷 | 三氯甲烷 | sānlǜjiǎwán | - chloroform CHCl3 - trichloromethane |
| 三江并流 | 三江並流 | Sānjiāngbìngliú | - Three Parallel Rivers National Park, in mountainous northwest Yunnan World Heritage protected area: the three rivers are Nujian 怒江 or Salween, Jinsha 金沙江 or upper reaches of Changjiang and Lancang 澜沧江 or Mekong |
| 三江平原 | 三江平原 | Sānjiāngpíngyuán | - Sanjiang or Three rivers plain in Heilongjiang, vast wetland watered by Heilongjiang 黑龍江|黑龙江[Hei1 long2 jiang1] or Amur, Songhua 松花江[Song1 hua1 jiang1], Ussuri 烏蘇里江|乌苏里江[Wu1 su1 li3 jiang1] |
| 三浦梅园 | 三浦梅園 | SānpǔMéiyuán | - MIURA Baien (1723-1789), Japanese neo-Confucian philosopher and pioneer economist, author of The Origin of value 價原|价原[Jia4 yuan2] |
| 三瓦两舍 | 三瓦兩舍 | sānwǎliǎngshè | - places of pleasure (like brothels, tea houses etc) |
| 三生有幸 | 三生有幸 | sānshēngyǒuxìng | - the blessing of three lifetimes (idiom) - (courteous language) it's my good fortune... |
| 三番五次 | 三番五次 | sānfānwǔcì | - over and over again (idiom) |
| 三皇五帝 | 三皇五帝 | sānhuángwǔdì | - three sovereigns 三皇[san1 huang2] and five emperors 五帝[wu3 di4] of myth and legend - the earliest system of Chinese historiography |
| 三皇炮捶 | 三皇炮捶 | sānhuángpàochuí | - Paochui - "Three Emperor Cannon Punch" (Chinese Martial Art) |
| 三等分角 | 三等分角 | sānděngfēnjiǎo | - trisection (math.) - trisecting an angle |
| 三级士官 | 三級士官 | sānjíshìguān | - staff sergeant |
| 三级跳远 | 三級跳遠 | sānjítiàoyuǎn | - triple jump (athletics) - hop, skip and jump |
| 三索锦蛇 | 三索錦蛇 | sānsuǒjǐnshé | - copperhead race (Elaphe radiata), kind of snake |
| 三维空间 | 三維空間 | sānwéikōngjiān | - three-dimensional space - 3D |
| 三纲五常 | 三綱五常 | sāngāngwǔcháng | - three principles and five virtues (idiom) - the three rules (ruler guides subject, father guides son and husband guides wife) and five constant virtues of Confucianism (benevolence 仁, righteousness 義|义, propriety 禮|礼, wisdom 智 and fidelity 信) |
| 三聚氰胺 | 三聚氰胺 | sānjùqíngàn | - melamine C3H6N6 |
| 三联书店 | 三聯書店 | SānliánShūdiàn | - Joint Publishing, book store chain and publisher, founded in Hong Kong in 1948 |
| 三脚两步 | 三腳兩步 | sānjiǎoliǎngbù | - hurriedly - just a few steps away |
| 三自教会 | 三自教會 | SānzìJiàohuì | - Three-Self Patriotic Movement, PRC government-sanctioned Protestant church from 1949 |
| 三茶六饭 | 三茶六飯 | sāncháliùfàn | - lit. to offer three kinds of tea and six different dishes - to be extremely considerate towards guests (idiom) |
| 三叶星云 | 三葉星雲 | Sānyèxīngyún | - Trifid Nebula M20 |
| 三藏法师 | 三藏法師 | Sānzàngfǎshī | - Tripitaka (602-664) Tang dynasty Buddhist monk and translator, who traveled to India 629-645 - same as 玄奘 |
| 三藩之乱 | 三藩之亂 | sānfānzhīluàn | - Three feudatories rebellion against Qing 1673-1681 during the reign of Kangxi |
| 三藩叛乱 | 三藩叛亂 | Sānfānpànluàn | - rebellion against the Qing of 1670s, pacified by Kangxi |
| 三号木杆 | 三號木桿 | sānhàomùgān | - spoon (golf) |
| 三号电池 | 三號電池 | sānhàodiànchí | - C size battery (PRC) - AA battery (Taiwan) - see 二號電池|二号电池 (C battery in Taiwan) and 五號電池|五号电池 (AA battery in PRC) |
| 三亲六故 | 三親六故 | sānqīnliùgù | - old friends and relatives |
| 三角函数 | 三角函數 | sānjiǎohánshù | - trigonometric function |
| 三角恐龙 | 三角恐龍 | sānjiǎokǒnglóng | - triceratops (dinosaur) |
| 三角恋爱 | 三角戀愛 | sānjiǎoliànài | - love triangle |
| 三角柱体 | 三角柱體 | sānjiǎozhùtǐ | - triangular prism (math.) |
| 三角腹带 | 三角腹帶 | sānjiǎofùdài | - athletic supporter |
| 三角裤衩 | 三角褲衩 | sānjiǎokùchǎ | - briefs - panties |
| 三角关系 | 三角關係 | sānjiǎoguānxì | - triangle relationship - a love triangle |
| 三言两句 | 三言兩句 | sānyánliǎngjù | - in a few words (idiom); expressed succinctly |
| 三言两语 | 三言兩語 | sānyánliǎngyǔ | - in a few words (idiom); expressed succinctly |
| 三贞九烈 | 三貞九烈 | sānzhēnjiǔliè | - (of a widow) faithful to the death to her husband's memory |
| 三资企业 | 三資企業 | sānzīqǐyè | - foreign, private and joint ventures |
| 三足金乌 | 三足金烏 | sānzújīnwū | - three-legged Golden Crow that lives in the sun (in northeast Asian and Chinese mythology) - Korean: samjog'o |
| 三趾滨鹬 | 三趾濱鷸 | sānzhǐbīnyù | - (Chinese bird species) sanderling (Calidris alba) |
| 三趾翠鸟 | 三趾翠鳥 | sānzhǐcuìniǎo | - (Chinese bird species) oriental dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx erithacus) |
| 三趾鸦雀 | 三趾鴉雀 | sānzhǐyāquè | - (Chinese bird species) three-toed parrotbill (Cholornis paradoxa) |
| 三跪九叩 | 三跪九叩 | sānguìjiǔkòu | - to kneel three times and kowtow nine times (formal etiquette on meeting the emperor) |
| 三军用命 | 三軍用命 | sānjūnyòngmìng | - (of a team) to throw oneself into the battle |
| 三轮车夫 | 三輪車夫 | sānlúnchēfū | - pedicab driver |
| 三农问题 | 三農問題 | sānnóngwèntí | - the three rural issues: agriculture, rural areas and peasants |
| 三长两短 | 三長兩短 | sānchángliǎngduǎn | - unexpected misfortune - unexpected accident - sudden death |
| 三门峡市 | 三門峽市 | Sānménxiáshì | - Sanmenxia prefecture level city in Henan |
| 三陪小姐 | 三陪小姐 | sānpéixiǎojie | - female escort - bar girl |
| 三项全能 | 三項全能 | sānxiàngquánnéng | - triathlon |
| 三头六臂 | 三頭六臂 | sāntóuliùbì | - lit. to have three heads and six arms (idiom) - fig. to possess remarkable abilities - a being of formidable powers |
| 三顾茅庐 | 三顧茅廬 | sāngùmáolú | - lit. three humble visits to a thatched cottage - cf famous episode in the fictional Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义 in which Liu Bei 劉備|刘备 recruits Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮|诸葛亮 (the Hidden Dragon 臥龍|卧龙) to his cause by visiting him three times |
| 三马同槽 | 三馬同槽 | sānmǎtóngcáo | - three horses at the same trough (idiom, alluding to Sima Yi 司馬懿|司马懿[Si1 ma3 Yi4] and his two sons); conspirators under the same roof |
| 三驾马车 | 三駕馬車 | sānjiàmǎchē | - troika |
| 三体问题 | 三體問題 | sāntǐwèntí | - three-body problem (mechanics) |
| 三魂七魄 | 三魂七魄 | sānhúnqīpò | - three immortal souls and seven mortal forms in Daoism, contrasting the spiritual and carnal side of man |
| 三鹿集团 | 三鹿集團 | SānlùJítuán | - Sanlu Group, Chinese state-owned dairy products company involved in the 2008 melamine poisoning scandal |
| 三点全露 | 三點全露 | sāndiǎnquánlòu | - (slang) naked - nude |
| 不三不四 | 不三不四 | bùsānbùsì | - dubious - shady - neither one thing nor the other - neither fish nor fowl - nondescript |
| 丢三落四 | 丟三落四 | diūsānlàsì | - forgetful - empty-headed |
| 九三学社 | 九三學社 | JiǔsānXuéshè | - Jiusan Society, one of the eight political parties of the CPC |
| 人有三急 | 人有三急 | rényǒusānjí | - (jocularly) to need to answer the call of nature |
| 低三下四 | 低三下四 | dīsānxiàsì | - servile |
| 传三过四 | 傳三過四 | chuánsānguòsì | - to spread rumors - to gossip |
| 入木三分 | 入木三分 | rùmùsānfēn | - written in a forceful hand - penetrating - profound |
| 两岸三地 | 兩岸三地 | liǎngànsāndì | - China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau (media term used esp. since 1997) |
| 两面三刀 | 兩面三刀 | liǎngmiànsāndāo | - two-faced, three knives (idiom); double-cross - double dealing and back stabbing |
| 六韬三略 | 六韜三略 | LiùtāoSānlüè | - "Six Secret Strategic Teachings" 六韜|六韬[Liu4 tao1] and "Three Strategies of Huang Shigong" 三略[San1 lu:e4], two of the Seven Military Classics of ancient China 武經七書|武经七书[Wu3 jing1 Qi1 shu1], attributed to Jiang Ziya 薑子牙|姜子牙[Jiang1 Zi3 ya2] |
| 再三再四 | 再三再四 | zàisānzàisì | - repeatedly - over and over again |
| 再衰三竭 | 再衰三竭 | zàishuāisānjié | - weakening and close to exhaustion (idiom); in terminal decline - on one's last legs |
| 勾三搭四 | 勾三搭四 | gōusāndāsì | - to make hanky-panky - to seduce women |
| 半夜三更 | 半夜三更 | bànyèsāngēng | - in the depth of night - late at night |
| 南三角座 | 南三角座 | Nánsānjiǎozuò | - Triangulum Australe (constellation) |
| 周三径一 | 周三徑一 | zhōusānjìngyī | - circumference of a circle is proverbially three times its radius |
| 垂涎三尺 | 垂涎三尺 | chuíxiánsānchǐ | - to drool (over) (idiom) - to yearn for - to covet - to crave |
| 增三和弦 | 增三和弦 | zēngsānhéxián | - augmented triad (musical chord) |
| 大三和弦 | 大三和弦 | dàsānhéxián | - major triad do-mi-so |
| 大小三度 | 大小三度 | dàxiǎosāndù | - major and minor third (musical interval) |
| 安倍晋三 | 安倍晉三 | ĀnbèiJìnsān | - Abe Shinzo (1954-), Japanese LDP politician, prime minister 2006-2007 and from 2012 |
| 小三和弦 | 小三和弦 | xiǎosānhéxián | - minor triad la-do-mi |
| 小渊惠三 | 小淵惠三 | XiǎoyuānHuìsān | - Obuchi Keizo (1937-2000), Japanese politician, prime minister 1998-2000 |
| 巴三览四 | 巴三覽四 | bāsānlǎnsì | - to talk about this and that (idiom); to ramble incoherently |
| 几次三番 | 幾次三番 | jǐcìsānfān | - lit. twice then three times (idiom); fig. repeatedly - over and over again |
| 张三李四 | 張三李四 | ZhāngsānLǐsì | - Zhang and Li (idiom); Zhang with tight trousers and Li with wide hat - Tom, Dick and Harry |
| 拼命三郎 | 拼命三郎 | pīnmìngsānláng | - brave man, willing to risk his life |
| 挑三拣四 | 挑三揀四 | tiāosānjiǎnsì | - to be picky - to be choosy |
| 挑三窝四 | 挑三窩四 | tiǎosānwōsì | - to sow discord everywhere |
| 接二连三 | 接二連三 | jiēèrliánsān | - one after another (idiom) - in quick succession |
| 推三阻四 | 推三阻四 | tuīsānzǔsì | - to use all sorts of excuses |
| 明十三陵 | 明十三陵 | Míngshísānlíng | - the Ming tombs (mausoleum park of the Ming emperors in Changping district of Beijing) |
| 春秋三传 | 春秋三傳 | ChūnqiūSānZhuàn | - Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋[Chun1 qiu1], including Mr Gongyang's annals 公羊傳|公羊传[Gong1 yang2 Zhuan4], Mr Guliang's annals 穀梁傳|谷梁传[Gu3 liang2 Zhuan4] and Mr Zuo's annals or Zuo Zhuan 左傳|左传[Zuo3 Zhuan4] |
| 朝三暮四 | 朝三暮四 | zhāosānmùsì | - lit. say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom); to change sth that is already settled upon - indecisive - to blow hot and cold |
| 东华三院 | 東華三院 | DōnghuáSānyuàn | - Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (Hong Kong) |
| 林三趾鹑 | 林三趾鶉 | línsānzhǐchún | - (Chinese bird species) common buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus) |
| 棕三趾鹑 | 棕三趾鶉 | zōngsānzhǐchún | - (Chinese bird species) barred buttonquail (Turnix suscitator) |
| 横三竖四 | 橫三豎四 | héngsānshùsì | - in disorder - in a tremendous mess |
| 泛珠三角 | 泛珠三角 | fànzhūsānjiǎo | - Pan-Pearl River delta - The nine provinces of Southern China around Guangzhou and the Pearl River delta - South China |
| 火冒三丈 | 火冒三丈 | huǒmàosānzhàng | - to get really angry |
| 狂三诈四 | 狂三詐四 | kuángsānzhàsì | - to deceive and swindle across the board (idiom) |
| 狡兔三窟 | 狡兔三窟 | jiǎotùsānkū | - lit. a crafty rabbit has three burrows - a sly individual has more than one plan to fall back on (idiom) |
| 甘油三脂 | 甘油三脂 | gānyóusānzhī | - triglyceride |
| 甘油三酯 | 甘油三酯 | gānyóusānzhǐ | - triglyceride |
| 直角三角 | 直角三角 | zhíjiǎosānjiǎo | - a right angled triangle |
| 第三世界 | 第三世界 | dìsānshìjiè | - Third World |
| 第三国际 | 第三國際 | DìsānGuójì | - see 共產國際|共产国际[Gong4 chan3 Guo2 ji4] |
| 第三季度 | 第三季度 | dìsānjìdù | - third quarter (of financial year) |
| 第三帝国 | 第三帝國 | DìsānDìguó | - Third Reich, Nazi regime (1933-1945) |
| 第三状态 | 第三狀態 | dìsānzhuàngtài | - "third state", borderline state between health and disease |
| 第三产业 | 第三產業 | dìsānchǎnyè | - tertiary sector of industry |
| 约法三章 | 約法三章 | yuēfǎsānzhāng | - to agree on three laws (idiom); provisional agreement made by new dynastic government with the people |
| 约翰三书 | 約翰三書 | Yuēhànsānshū | - Third epistle of St John |
| 网开三面 | 網開三面 | wǎngkāisānmiàn | - to leave the net open on three sides (idiom); let the caged bird fly - to give one's opponent a way out - lenient treatment |
| 绕梁三日 | 繞梁三日 | ràoliángsānrì | - reverberates around the rafters for three days (idiom); fig. sonorous and resounding (esp. of singing voice) |
| 肱三头肌 | 肱三頭肌 | gōngsāntóujī | - triceps brachii (back of the upper arm) |
| 举一反三 | 舉一反三 | jǔyīfǎnsān | - to raise one and infer three - to deduce many things from one case (idiom) |
| 莫三比克 | 莫三比克 | Mòsānbǐkè | - Mozambique, SE Africa (Tw) |
| 说三道四 | 說三道四 | shuōsāndàosì | - to make thoughtless remarks (idiom) - to criticize - gossip |
| 调三窝四 | 調三窩四 | tiáosānwōsì | - to sow the seeds of discord everywhere (idiom) |
| 货比三家 | 貨比三家 | huòbǐsānjiā | - to comparison shop (idiom) - comparison shopping |
| 退避三舍 | 退避三捨 | tuìbìsānshè | - lit. to retreat three day's march (idiom); fig. to give way in the face of superior strength - a strategic withdrawal |
| 连三并四 | 連三併四 | liánsānbìngsì | - one after the other - in succession (idiom) |
| 长江三峡 | 長江三峽 | ChángJiāngSānxiá | - Three Gorges or Yangtze Gorges, namely: Qutang Gorge 瞿塘峽|瞿塘峡[Qu1 tang2 Xia2], Wuxia Gorge 巫峽|巫峡[Wu1 Xia2] and Xiling Gorge 西陵峽|西陵峡[Xi1 ling2 Xia2] |
| 开三次方 | 開三次方 | kāisāncìfāng | - cube root - to extract a cube root |
| 隔三岔五 | 隔三岔五 | gésǎnchàwǔ | - see 隔三差五|隔三差五[ge2 san1 cha4 wu3] |
| 隔三差五 | 隔三差五 | gésānchàwǔ | - every few days (idiom) |
| 韦编三绝 | 韋編三絕 | wéibiānsānjué | - lit. the leather binding (of the bamboo scroll) has broken three times - fig. to study diligently |
| 颠三倒四 | 顛三倒四 | diānsāndǎosì | - confused - disorderly - incoherent |
| 一问三不知 | 一問三不知 | yīwènsānbùzhī | - lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom) - fig. absolutely no idea of what's going on - complete ignorance |
| 三七二十一 | 三七二十一 | sānqīèrshíyī | - three sevens are twenty-one (idiom) - the facts of the matter - the actual situation |
| 三七开定论 | 三七開定論 | sānqīkāidìnglùn | - thirty percent failure, seventy percent success, the official PRC verdict on Mao Zedong |
| 三下五除二 | 三下五除二 | sānxiàwǔchúèr | - three, set five remove two (abacus rule) - efficiently - quickly and easily |
| 三分钟热度 | 三分鐘熱度 | sānfēnzhōngrèdù | - brief period of enthusiasm - flash in the pan |
| 三十二位元 | 三十二位元 | sānshíèrwèiyuán | - 32-bit (computing) |
| 三十八度线 | 三十八度線 | sānshíbādùxiàn | - thirty eighth parallel - dividing line agreed at Yalta between US and Soviet zones of influence in Korea, now the DMZ between North and South Korea |
| 三十六字母 | 三十六字母 | sānshíliùzìmǔ | - thirty six initial consonants of Song phonetic theory |
| 三合一疫苗 | 三合一疫苗 | sānhéyīyìmiáo | - DTP vaccination |
| 三对三斗牛 | 三對三鬥牛 | sānduìsāndòuniú | - three-on-three basketball game |
| 三尖杉酯碱 | 三尖杉酯鹼 | sānjiānshānzhǐjiǎn | - harringtonine (chemistry) |
| 三岛由纪夫 | 三島由紀夫 | SāndǎoYóujìfū | - Mishima Yukio (1925-1970), Japanese author, pen name of (平岡公威|平冈公威, Hiraoka Kimitake) |
| 三思而后行 | 三思而後行 | sānsīérhòuxíng | - think again and again before acting (idiom); consider carefully in advance |
| 三百六十行 | 三百六十行 | sānbǎiliùshíháng | - all walks of life (idiom) - every trade |
| 三硝基甲苯 | 三硝基甲苯 | sānxiāojījiǎběn | - trinitrotoluene (TNT) |
| 三磷酸腺苷 | 三磷酸腺苷 | sānlínsuānxiàngān | - adenosine triphosphate (ATP) |
| 三胚层动物 | 三胚層動物 | sānpēicéngdòngwù | - triploblastic animals (having three germ layers) |
| 三色紫罗兰 | 三色紫羅蘭 | sānsèzǐluólán | - pansy |
| 三角测量法 | 三角測量法 | sānjiǎocèliángfǎ | - triangulation (surveying) |
| 三趾啄木鸟 | 三趾啄木鳥 | sānzhǐzhuómùniǎo | - (Chinese bird species) Eurasian three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) |
| 三道眉草鹀 | 三道眉草鵐 | sāndàoméicǎowú | - (Chinese bird species) meadow bunting (Emberiza cioides) |
| 三酸甘油酯 | 三酸甘油酯 | sānsuāngānyóuzhǐ | - triglyceride |
| 乾嘉三大家 | 乾嘉三大家 | QiánJiāsāndàjiā | - Three great poets of the Qianlong and Jiaqing era (1735-1820), namely: Yuan Mei 袁枚, Jiang Shiquan 蔣士銓|蒋士铨 and Zhao Yi 趙翼|赵翼 |
| 八二三炮战 | 八二三砲戰 | bāèrsānpàozhàn | - bombardment of Kinmen by PRC forces that started August 23rd 1958, also called second Taiwan strait crisis |
| 唐诗三百首 | 唐詩三百首 | Tángshīsānbǎishǒu | - Three hundred Tang dynasty poems, a stable anthology collected around 1763 by Sun Zhu 孫誅 |
| 大江健三郎 | 大江健三郎 | DàjiāngJiànsānláng | - Oe Kenzaburo (1935-) Japanese novelist and 1994 Nobel laureate |
| 太子十三峰 | 太子十三峰 | Tàizǐshísānfēng | - thirteen peaks of Meri snow mountains in Diqing Tibetan autonomous prefecture 迪慶藏族自治州|迪庆藏族自治州[Di2 qing4 Zang4 zu2 zi4 zhi4 zhou1], Yunnan - also written 梅里雪山[Mei2 li3 xue3 shan1] |
| 富不过三代 | 富不過三代 | fùbùguòsāndài | - wealth never survives three generations (idiom) |
| 抚远三角洲 | 撫遠三角洲 | Fǔyuǎnsānjiǎozhōu | - Bolshoi Ussuriisk Island in the Heilongjiang or Amur river, at mouth of the Ussuri River opposite Khabarovsk - same as Heixiazi Island 黑瞎子島|黑瞎子岛 |
| 是药三分毒 | 是藥三分毒 | shìyàosānfēndú | - every medicine has its side effect |
| 东方三博士 | 東方三博士 | DōngfāngsānBóshì | - the Magi - the Three Wise Kings from the East in the biblical nativity story |
| 桃园三结义 | 桃園三結義 | TáoyuánSānJiéyì | - Oath of the Peach Garden, sworn by Liu Bei 劉備|刘备[Liu2 Bei4], Zhang Fei 張飛|张飞[Zhang1 Fei1] and Guan Yu 關羽|关羽[Guan1 Yu3] at the start of the Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1 guo2 Yan3 yi4] |
| 泛珠江三角 | 泛珠江三角 | fànzhūjiāngsānjiǎo | - the Pan-Pearl river delta (economic zone including the 5 provinces around Guangzhou and Hong Kong) |
| 浙江三门县 | 浙江三門縣 | ZhèjiāngSānménxiàn | - Sanmen County in Zhejiang |
| 珠江三角洲 | 珠江三角洲 | Zhūjiāngsānjiǎozhōu | - Pearl River Delta (PRD) |
| 百慕大三角 | 百慕大三角 | Bǎimùdàsānjiǎo | - Bermuda Triangle |
| 直角三角形 | 直角三角形 | zhíjiǎosānjiǎoxíng | - a right angled triangle |
| 等腰三角形 | 等腰三角形 | děngyāosānjiǎoxíng | - isosceles triangle |
| 等边三角形 | 等邊三角形 | děngbiānsānjiǎoxíng | - equilateral triangle |
| 总会三明治 | 總會三明治 | zǒnghuìsānmíngzhì | - club sandwich |
| 莱齐耶三世 | 萊齊耶三世 | LáiqíyēSānshì | - Letsie III of Lesotho |
| 着三不着两 | 著三不著兩 | zháosānbùzháoliǎng | - scatter-brained - thoughtless |
| 长江三角洲 | 長江三角洲 | ChángJiāngSānjiǎozhōu | - Yangtze River Delta |
| 陆海空三军 | 陸海空三軍 | lùhǎikōngsānjūn | - army, navy, air force |
| 黄石公三略 | 黃石公三略 | HuángShígōngSānlüè | - “Three Strategies of Huang Shigong”, also known as Taigong Bingfa 太公兵法[Tai4 gong1 Bing1 fa3], one of the Seven Military Classics of ancient China 武經七書|武经七书[Wu3 jing1 Qi1 shu1], variously attributed to Jiang Ziya 薑子牙|姜子牙[Jiang1 Zi3 ya2], Huang Shigong 黃石公|黄石公[Huang2 Shi2 gong1] or an anonymous author |
| 黄脚三趾鹑 | 黃腳三趾鶉 | huángjiǎosānzhǐchún | - (Chinese bird species) yellow-legged buttonquail (Turnix tanki) |
| 三件套式西装 | 三件套式西裝 | sānjiàntàoshìxīzhuāng | - three-piece suit |
| 三寸不烂之舌 | 三寸不爛之舌 | sāncùnbùlànzhīshé | - to have a silver tongue - to have the gift of the gab |
| 三自爱国教会 | 三自愛國教會 | SānzìÀiguóJiàohuì | - Three-Self Patriotic Movement, PRC government-sanctioned Protestant church from 1949 |
| 不等边三角形 | 不等邊三角形 | bùděngbiānsānjiǎoxíng | - scalene triangle |
| 不规则三角形 | 不規則三角形 | bùguīzésānjiǎoxíng | - scalene triangle (math.) |
| 帕斯卡三角形 | 帕斯卡三角形 | pàsīkǎsānjiǎoxíng | - Pascal's Triangle (math.) |
| 湄公河三角洲 | 湄公河三角洲 | Méigōnghésānjiǎozhōu | - Mekong River delta |
| 长三角经济区 | 長三角經濟區 | ChángSānjiǎoJīngjìQū | - Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone (economic region including Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu) |
| 21三体综合症 | 21三體綜合症 | èrshíyīsāntǐzōnghézhèng | - trisomy - Down's syndrome |
| 一哭二闹三上吊 | 一哭二鬧三上吊 | yīkūèrnàosānshàngdiào | - to make a terrible scene (idiom) - to throw a tantrum |
| 一而再，再而三 | 一而再，再而三 | yīérzài,zàiérsān | - again and again |
| 三个女人一个墟 | 三個女人一個墟 | sāngènǚrényīgèxū | - three women makes a crowd |
| 三个女人一台戏 | 三個女人一臺戲 | sāngenǚrényītáixì | - three women are enough for a drama (idiom) |
| 三句话不离本行 | 三句話不離本行 | sānjùhuàbùlíběnháng | - to talk shop all the time (idiom) |
| 三江侗族自治县 | 三江侗族自治縣 | Sānjiāngdòngzúzìzhìxiàn | - Sanjiang Dong autonomous county in Liuzhou 柳州[Liu3 zhou1], Guangxi |
| 三江生态旅游区 | 三江生態旅遊區 | Sānjiāngshēngtàilǚyóuqū | - Sanjiang ecological tourist area in Wenchuan county 汶川县, northwest Sichuan |
| 三都水族自治县 | 三都水族自治縣 | Sāndūshuǐzúzìzhìxiàn | - Sandu Shuizu autonomous county in Qiannan Buyei and Miao autonomous prefecture 黔南州[Qian2 nan2 zhou1], Guizhou |
| 不管三七二十一 | 不管三七二十一 | bùguǎnsānqīèrshíyī | - regardless of the consequences - recklessly relying on a hopelessly optimistic forecast |
| 伊洛瓦底三角洲 | 伊洛瓦底三角洲 | Yīluòwǎdǐsānjiǎozhōu | - Irrawaddy delta in south Myanmar (Burma) |
| 新官上任三把火 | 新官上任三把火 | xīnguānshàngrènsānbǎhuǒ | - the new boss cracks the whip three times - a new broom sweeps clean - fig. vigorous new policies |
| 染色体三倍体症 | 染色體三倍體症 | rǎnsètǐsānbèitǐzhèng | - trisomy |
| 此地无银三百两 | 此地無銀三百兩 | cǐdìwúyínsānbǎiliǎng | - lit. 300 silver taels not hidden here (idiom); fig. to reveal what one intends to hide |
| 无事不登三宝殿 | 無事不登三寶殿 | wúshìbùdēngsānbǎodiàn | - lit. One doesn't visit a temple without a cause. (idiom) - fig. to visit sb with an ulterior motive (esp. to ask for sth) - having a hidden agenda |
| 话到嘴边留三分 | 話到嘴邊留三分 | huàdàozuǐbiānliúsānfēn | - A still tongue makes a wise head. (idiom) |
| 货问三家不吃亏 | 貨問三家不吃虧 | huòwènsānjiābùchīkuī | - see 貨比三家不吃虧|货比三家不吃亏[huo4 bi3 san1 jia1 bu4 chi1 kui1] |
| 货比三家不吃亏 | 貨比三家不吃虧 | huòbǐsānjiābùchīkuī | - shop around first and you won't get ripped off (idiom) |
| 金背三趾啄木鸟 | 金背三趾啄木鳥 | jīnbèisānzhǐzhuómùniǎo | - (Chinese bird species) common flameback (Dinopium javanense) |
| 三人行，必有我师 | 三人行，必有我師 | sānrénxíng,bìyǒuwǒshī | - lit. if three walk together, one can be my teacher (idiom, from the Analects of Confucius) - you have sth to learn from everyone |
| 三大纪律八项注意 | 三大紀律八項注意 | SānDàJìlǜBāXiàngZhùyì | - the Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention, a military doctrine issued in 1928 by Mao Zedong for the Red Army, which included a number of injunctions demanding high standards of behavior and respect for civilians during wartime |
| 二氯异三聚氰酸钠 | 二氯異三聚氰酸鈉 | èrlǜyìsānjùqíngsuānnà | - sodium dichloroisocyanurate |
| 腺嘌呤核苷三磷酸 | 腺嘌呤核苷三磷酸 | xiànpiàolìnghégānsānlínsuān | - adenosine triphosphate (ATP) |
| 长江三角洲经济区 | 長江三角洲經濟區 | Chángjiāngsānjiǎozhōujīngjìqū | - Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone (economic region including Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu) |
| 一日不见，如隔三秋 | 一日不見，如隔三秋 | yīrìbùjiàn,rúgésānqiū | - one day apart seems like three years (idiom) |
| 三人行，则必有我师 | 三人行，則必有我師 | sānrénxíng,zébìyǒuwǒshī | - If three walk together, one of them can teach me sth (Confucius) |
| 三十六计，走为上策 | 三十六計，走為上策 | sānshíliùjì,zǒuwéishàngcè | - Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing is best. - see also 三十六計|三十六计[san1 shi2 liu4 ji4] |
| 三天不打，上房揭瓦 | 三天不打，上房揭瓦 | sāntiānbùdǎ,shàngfángjiēwǎ | - three days without a beating, and a child will scale the roof to rip the tiles (idiom) - spare the rod, spoil the child |
| 三天打鱼，两天晒网 | 三天打魚，兩天曬網 | sāntiāndǎyú,liǎngtiānshàiwǎng | - lit. to fish for three days and sun-dry the nets for two days (proverb) - fig. not to persevere in doing sth - to do sth by fits and starts |
| 不孝有三，无后为大 | 不孝有三，無後為大 | bùxiàoyǒusān,wúhòuwéidà | - There are three ways to be unfilial; having no sons is the worst. (citation from Mencius 孟子[Meng4 zi3]) |
| 冰冻三尺，非一日之寒 | 冰凍三尺，非一日之寒 | bīngdòngsānchǐ,fēiyīrìzhīhán | - three feet of ice does not form in a single day (idiom); Rome wasn't built in a day |
| 三个臭皮匠，赛过诸葛亮 | 三個臭皮匠，賽過諸葛亮 | sāngèchòupíjiang,sàiguòZhūgěLiàng | - lit. three ignorant cobblers add up to a genius (idiom); fig. collective wisdom - wisdom of the masses exceeds that of any individual |
| 三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮 | 三個臭皮匠，頂個諸葛亮 | sāngèchòupíjiang,dǐnggèZhūgěLiàng | - lit. three ignorant cobblers add up to a genius (idiom); fig. collective wisdom - wisdom of the masses exceeds that of any individual |
| 张三，李四，王五，赵六 | 張三，李四，王五，趙六 | Zhāngsān,Lǐsì,Wángwǔ,Zhàoliù | - four proverbial names - Tom, Dick and Harry |
| 三个臭皮匠，胜过一个诸葛亮 | 三個臭皮匠，勝過一個諸葛亮 | sāngèchòupíjiang,shèngguòyīgèZhūgěLiàng | - variant of 三個臭皮匠，賽過一個諸葛亮|三个臭皮匠，赛过一个诸葛亮[san1 ge4 chou4 pi2 jiang5 , sai4 guo4 yi1 ge4 Zhu1 ge3 Liang4] |
| 三个臭皮匠，合成一个诸葛亮 | 三個臭皮匠，合成一個諸葛亮 | sāngèchòupíjiang,héchéngyīgèZhūgěLiàng | - lit. three ignorant cobblers add up to a genius (idiom); fig. collective wisdom |
| 三个臭皮匠，赛过一个诸葛亮 | 三個臭皮匠，賽過一個諸葛亮 | sāngèchòupíjiang,sàiguòyīgèZhūgěLiàng | - lit. three ignorant cobblers add up to a genius (idiom); fig. collective wisdom - wisdom of the masses exceeds that of any individual |
This website combine data from several databases (notably: Unihan, CC-CEDICT). Please be aware that some information presented may be incorrect, especially for very rare Chinese characters. We take no responsibility for incorrect data, though we constantly try to make the website as accurate as possible.
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