三六九 (sān liù jiǔ) — (noun) a dice game where players bet on combinations of 3, 6, and 9

Definition

三六九 (sān liù) is the name of a traditional Chinese dice-betting game where players wager on outcomes involving 3, 6, and 9.

noun
a dice game where players bet on combinations of 3, 6, and 9

Examples

  • 三六九。
    Tā men wǎn shàng cháng cháng wán sān liù jiǔ.
    They often play the dice game Sanliujiu in the evening.
  • 三六九。
    sān liù jiǔ Shì yì zhǒng chuán tǒng de dǔ bó yóu xì.
    Sanliujiu is a traditional gambling game.
  • 三六九。
    Tā zài sān liù jiǔ shàng shū le bù shǎo qián.
    He lost quite a bit of money playing Sanliujiu.

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
六liùsix
九jiǔnine

三、六、九 name the dice numbers chosen in the game, listed together as the possible bets.

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.

The shape of 六 may come from a simple drawing of a shed, or from an ancient counting mark.

Open 六 →

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

The shape comes from a stylized hand bent at the wrist, with the lower-right hook showing the bend. Later, it was taken to show a tightened fist bumping up to ten, giving the number nine.

Open 九 →

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