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三分 (sān fēn) — three parts (of ten), thirty percent; (figurative) a little bit, somewhat, to some extent

Definition

Literally 'three parts (out of ten)', used to mean roughly thirty percent or 'a little bit / somewhat'. Often appears in the construction 三分…七分… (three parts X, seven parts Y) to weigh two factors.

noun
three parts (of ten)thirty percent(figurative) a little bitsomewhatto some extent

Examples

  • 三分，。
    Zhè jiàn shì sān fēn kào yùn qì, qī fēn kào nǔ lì.
    This matter is three parts luck, seven parts effort.
  • 三分，。
    Tā sān fēn kāi wán xiào dì shuō, bié dàng zhēn.
    He said it half-jokingly, don't take it seriously.
  • ，三分。
    Tīng le zhè huà, tā xīn lǐ yǒu sān fēn bú kuài.
    Hearing this, she felt a little displeased.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

三sānthree
分fēnpart

三 means three and 分 means part; together they say three parts or a little.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →
Appears in
Numbers & CountingQuantity & Amount

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