三连冠 (sān lián guān) — three consecutive championships; winning all three main categories of the same sport (e.g., singles, doubles, mixed)

Definition

Literally 'three-peat': either three straight championship titles in a row, or sweeping all three main titles within one sport (e.g., singles, doubles, mixed doubles).

noun
three consecutive championshipswinning all three main categories of the same sport (e.g., singles, doubles, mixed)

Examples

  • 三连冠。
    Zhè wèi yùn dòng yuán zài ào yùn huì shàng shí xiàn le sān lián guān.
    This athlete achieved a three-peat at the Olympics.
  • 、三连冠。
    Tā jīn nián bāo lǎn le dān dǎ, shuāng dǎ hé hùn shuāng de sān lián guān.
    She swept the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles this year — a triple crown of the sport.
  • ，三连冠。
    Zhè zhī qiú duì yǐ jīng lián xù sān nián duó guàn, yǒu wàng zhēng qǔ sān lián guān.
    This team has won the championship three straight years and has a chance at a three-peat.

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
连冠consecutive championship
连liánconsecutive冠guānchampionship
偏正Modifier + head

三 gives three, 连 means consecutive, and 冠 names a championship; together they mean three titles in a row.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 連; 连 is its simplified writing.

  • 辶辵chuòto walk
  • 車車jūchariot

The traditional form 連 joins 辶 (walk) and 車 (chariot) to show a man-drawn carriage; this note is about 連, not the simplified 连.

Open 连 →

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
冖冖mìhat
寸寸cùnhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán冠guàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

冠 shows a hand putting a hat on a head: 寸 is the hand, 冖 is the hat, and 元 is the head.

Open 冠 →

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