隔三差五 (gé sān chà wǔ) — every few days; frequently but irregularly; now…

Definition

A colloquial idiom meaning 'every few days' or 'now and then, irregularly' — used for recurring but unscheduled events (calls, visits, repairs).

idiom

every few daysfrequently but irregularlynow and then

隔三差五。
Tā gé sān chà wǔ huì lái wǒ jiā zuò zuò.
He comes over to my place every few days.
隔三差五，。
Zhè liàng chē gé sān chà wǔ jiù yào xiū yí cì, zhēn má fan.
This car needs repairs every few days — such a hassle.
隔三差五，。
Tā gé sān chà wǔ gěi fù mǔ dǎ diàn huà, wèn tā men shēn tǐ zěn me yàng.
She calls her parents every few days to ask how they're doing.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

隔三skip three

动宾Verb + object

差五miss five

动宾Verb + object

隔三 and 差五 mean skip three and miss five, paralleling each other to suggest irregular intervals.

Characters in this word

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

阝鬲隔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

阝Written in full as阜fùwall

Sound part声符shēngfú

鬲

鬲gé隔gé

Same sound today

隔 puts 阝, a wall, with 鬲, which gives the sound gé, to show separating with a wall.

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.

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

差 pairs 來 (wheat) with 𠂇 (left hand), showing wheat rubbed in a hand to remove its hull.

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

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.