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三位一体 (Sān wèi Yī tǐ) — (Christianity) the Trinity; three-in-one; three elements forming an organic whole

Definition

An idiom literally meaning 'three in one' — used for the Christian Trinity, and more broadly for any three parts forming a unified whole (e.g. government, business, and academia cooperating as one).

idiom
(Christianity) the Trinitythree-in-onethree elements forming an organic whole

Examples

  • 、、三位一体。
    Jī dū jiào xiāng xìn shèng fù, shèng zǐ, shèng líng shì Sān wèi Yī tǐ.
    Christianity believes that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the Trinity.
  • 、、三位一体。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù cǎi yòng zhèng fǔ, qǐ yè, gāo xiào Sān wèi Yī tǐ de hé zuò mó shì.
    This project adopts a three-in-one cooperation model of government, enterprise, and university.
  • 、三位一体。
    Jiàn kāng shì shēn tǐ, xīn lǐ hé shè jiāo de Sān wèi Yī tǐ.
    Health is a trinity of body, mind, and social well-being.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

三位three elements
三sānthree位wèiposition
偏正Modifier + head
一体one body
一yīone体tǐbody
偏正Modifier + head

三位 “three elements” and 一体 “one body” state that three form one whole.

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì位wèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

位 combines 人 (man), related to people, with 立, which gives the sound. It was often simply written as 立.

Open 位 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
骨骨gǔbone
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ體tǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Open 体 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesReligion & Belief

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