三四点 (sān sì diǎn) — around three or four o'clock

Definition

A casual time expression meaning 'around three or four o'clock', used like a noun for a clock time. Don't confuse with 点 alone ('o'clock') or 几 (asking 'what time').

noun
around three or four o'clock

Examples

  • 三四点。
    Wǒ men sān sì diǎn jiàn ba.
    Let's meet around three or four.
  • 三四点。
    Tā měi tiān sān sì diǎn qǐ chuáng.
    He gets up around three or four every day.
  • 三四点。
    Fēi jī sān sì diǎn dào.
    The plane arrives around three or four.

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.

三四three or four
三sānthree四sìfour
联合Side by side
点diǎno'clock

三 and 四 give three or four, and 点 marks the hour, so around three or four o'clock.

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 form 四 was drawn as a nose breathing out. It later came to be used for the word four.

Open 四 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 點; 点 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
黑黑hēiblack
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn點diǎn(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 點 pairs 黑 (black) with 占 for its sound; the simplified 点 is a later abbreviation.

Open 点 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.