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再而三 (zài ér sān) — repeatedly, time and again

Definition

A formal idiom meaning 'again and again, over and over'. It is part of the set phrase 一再再而三 and is more literary than the plain adverb 再.

idiom
repeatedlytime and again

Examples

  • 再而三。
    Tā zài ér sān dì fàn tóng yàng de cuò wù.
    He repeatedly makes the same mistake.
  • 再而三。
    Jīng lǐ zài ér sān qiáng diào ān quán de zhòng yào xìng.
    The manager stressed the importance of safety time and again.
  • 再而三，。
    Zhè zhǒng wèn tí zài ér sān chū xiàn, ràng rén fán xīn.
    This kind of problem keeps appearing and is really annoying.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

Open 再 →

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

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

Open 而 →

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 →
Appears in
Frequency & Duration

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