sānwǔ
三…五…
repeatedly; several times; a few
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesadverb
repeatedly; again and again; time and again
Inserted into verbs to indicate high frequency or repetition. Common collocations include 三番五次 and 三令五申.
Lǎo老
shī师
sān三
fān番
wǔ五
cì次
de地
tí提
xǐng醒
tā他
zhù注
yì意
shēn身
tǐ体
。
The teacher reminded him again and again to take care of his health.
Zhèng政
fǔ府
sān三
lìng令
wǔ五
shēn申
，
yán严
jìn禁
jiǔ酒
hòu后
jià驾
chē车
。
The government has issued repeated orders strictly forbidding driving under the influence.
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Zhè这
jiàn件
shì事
wǒ我
yǐ已
sān三
cuī催
wǔ五
qǐng请
，
tā他
hái还
shì是
bù不
dòng动
。
I have urged him repeatedly about this matter, but he still won't act.
numeral
a few; several; a couple of (years, etc.)
Used before measure words or time words to indicate an approximate, relatively small quantity. Most commonly seen in 三年五载.
Zhè这
děi得
sān三
nián年
wǔ五
zǎi载
cái才
néng能
wán完
chéng成
。
This will take a few years to complete.
Tā他
xué学
le了
sān三
nián年
wǔ五
zǎi载
de的
shū书
fǎ法
，
xiàn现
zài在
yǐ已
jīng经
hěn很
lì厉
hài害
le了
。
He studied calligraphy for several years and is now quite skilled.
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Sān三
wǔ五
ge个
rén人
jiù就
néng能
bān搬
dòng动
zhè这
kuài块
shí石
tou头
。
Just a few people can move this stone.