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接二连三 (jiē èr lián sān) — (idiom) one after another, in quick succession

Definition

An adverbial idiom meaning 'one after another in quick succession.' Stronger than 纷纷 or 先后, which stress many people doing things; 重重 describes layered, accumulating problems, not events happening in a row.

idiom
one after anotherin quick succession

Examples

  • 接二连三。
    Zuì jìn jiē èr lián sān dì yǒu péng you lái kàn wǒ.
    Recently, friends have been coming to see me one after another.
  • 接二连三。
    Tā jiē èr lián sān dì shōu dào le hǎo jǐ fèn lǐ wù.
    She received several gifts in quick succession.
  • 接二连三。
    Bǐ sài zhōng wǒ men jiē èr lián sān dì yíng le sān chǎng bǐ sài.
    In the competition, we won three matches in a row.

Origin

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
妾
妾qiè接jiē
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, matching the sense of receiving something in the hand, while 妾 gives the character its sound.

Open 接 →

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

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

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 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set PhrasesOrder & Arrangement

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