三二一 (sān èr yī) — three, two, one (countdown)

Definition

The spoken countdown 'three, two, one' used to start an action (a race, a photo, a game). The numbers are said in reverse order right before 开始, 跑, 茄子, etc.

numeral
threetwoone (countdown)

Examples

  • 三二一，！
    sān èr yī, Kāi shǐ!
    Three, two, one, go!
  • ：三二一，！
    Dà jiā yì qǐ hǎn: sān èr yī, qié zi!
    Everyone shout together: three, two, one, cheese!
  • 三二一，！
    sān èr yī, Pǎo!
    Three, two, one, run!

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

三 is drawn as three parallel strokes, like 一 with one stroke and 二 with two.

Open 三 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

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