三五 (sān wǔ) — three or five (used to indicate an indefinite small number); a few, several

Definition

三五 literally means 'three or five' but is used as an idiom for 'a few' — a vague small number, not a precise count. Read as one word, not as the numbers 3 and 5.

numeral
three or five (used to indicate an indefinite small number)a fewseveral
Easily confused

Examples

  • 三五。
    Zhè jiàn shì yào sān wǔ tiān cái néng zuò wán.
    This will take a few days to finish.
  • 。
    Tā men sān wǔ chéng qún dì zǒu jìn jiào shì.
    They walked into the classroom in groups of three or five.
  • 三五。
    Tā jiào le sān wǔ gè péng you lái bāng máng.
    He called a few friends to help.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

三sānthree
五wǔfive

三 and 五 stand side by side to suggest a few.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.

Open 五 →

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