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三等 (sān děng) — third class (in quality, rank, or service level); three grades or classes

Definition

noun
third class (in quality, rank, or service level)three grades or classes

Examples

  • 三等。
    Zhè tàng liè chē zhǐ yǒu sān děng chē xiāng.
    This train only has third-class carriages.
  • 、三等。
    Bǐ sài jié guǒ fēn wéi yī děng, èr děng hé sān děng.
    The competition results are divided into first class, second class, and third class.
  • 三等。
    Zhè jiā jiǔ diàn tí gōng sān děng fú wù.
    This hotel offers third-class service.

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
等děnggrade

三 'three' and 等 'grade' combine to mean third class or three grades.

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 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì等děng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 竹 shows bamboo strips used for writing and sorting; the bottom 寺 once gave the sound, but now sounds different.

Open 等 →
Appears in
Numbers & CountingGood & Bad

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