Word

三角 (sān jiǎo) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 7

Meaning of 三角

名 míng noun

triangle

桌子上有一个三角尺。

zhuō zi shàng yǒu yí gè sān jiǎo chǐ

There is a set square on the table.

Word breakdown

三 sān — three (indicating three sides/angles)

1 再三 zài sān — repeatedly HSK 6
- 再 again, once more
- 三 multiple times (three representing 'several')
Example

我再三提醒他要小心。

wǒ zài sān tí xǐng tā yào xiǎo xīn

I repeatedly reminded him to be careful.
2 三番五次 sān fān wǔ cì — time and again HSK 7
- 三 three (indicating multiple times)
- 番 times/occasions (indicating instances)
- 五 five (emphasizing repetition)
- 次 times/instances (reinforcing repetition)
Example

我三番五次地提醒他，他就是不听。

wǒ sān fān wǔ cì de tí xǐng tā tā jiù shì bù tīng

I reminded him time and again, but he just wouldn't listen.
3 三维 sān wéi — three-dimensional HSK 7
- 三 three (number of dimensions)
- 维 dimension
Example

这个游戏使用三维图形技术。

zhè ge yóu xì shǐ yòng sān wéi tú xíng jì shù

This game uses three-dimensional graphics technology.
4 丢三落四 diū sān là sì — forgetful and careless HSK 7
- 丢 to lose
- 三 three (symbolic number indicating frequency)
- 落 to drop, to leave behind
- 四 four (symbolic number indicating frequency)
Example

他总是丢三落四，今天又忘带钥匙了。

tā zǒng shì diū sān là sì jīn tiān yòu wàng dài yào shi le

He's always forgetful and careless; today he forgot to bring his keys again.
5 举一反三 jǔ yī fǎn sān — draw inferences from one example HSK 7
- 举 raise, give (an example)
- 一 one (example)
- 反 infer back, deduce
- 三 three (representing many)
Example

她很聪明，学习时总能举一反三。

tā hěn cōng ming xué xí shí zǒng néng jǔ yī fǎn sān

She is very smart and can always draw inferences from one example when studying.

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6 接二连三 jiē èr lián sān — one after another HSK 7
- 接 connect, join
- 二 two (beginning of sequence)
- 连 link, connect continuously
- 三 three (continuation of sequence)
Example

最近公司接二连三地出现问题。

zuì jìn gōng sī jiē èr lián sān de chū xiàn wèn tí

Recently, the company has had problems one after another.
7 朝三暮四 zhāo sān mù sì — fickle; changeable; inconsistent HSK 7
- 朝 morning
- 三 three
- 暮 evening
- 四 four
Example

别朝三暮四的，要专心做好一件事。

bié zhāo sān mù sì de yào zhuān xīn zuò hǎo yī jiàn shì

Don't be fickle; focus on doing one thing well.

角 jiǎo — angle/corner (geometric concept)

1 角度 jiǎo dù — angle; perspective HSK 5
- 角 angle, corner (spatial/geometric concept)
- 度 degree, measure (measurement aspect)
Example

我们要从多个角度分析这个问题。

wǒ men yào cóng duō gè jiǎo dù fēn xī zhè gè wèn tí

We need to analyze this problem from multiple angles.
2 角落 jiǎo luò — corner HSK 6
- 角 corner, angle (spatial aspect)
- 落 settled, tucked-away place
Example

他坐在房间的角落里看书。

tā zuò zài fáng jiān de jiǎo luò lǐ kàn shū

He sits in the corner of the room reading.
3 冰山一角 bīng shān yī jiǎo — tip of the iceberg HSK 7
- 冰 ice (forming 'iceberg' with 山)
- 山 mountain (forming 'iceberg')
- 一 one (indicating a small portion)
- 角 corner/tip (the visible part)
Example

这些腐败案件只是冰山一角，问题比我们想象的严重得多。

zhè xiē fǔ bài àn jiàn zhǐ shì bīng shān yī jiǎo wèn tí bǐ wǒ men xiǎng xiàng de yán zhòng de duō

These corruption cases are just the tip of the iceberg; the problem is much more serious than we imagine.
4 凤毛麟角 fèng máo lín jiǎo — extremely rare HSK 7
- 凤 phoenix (mythical bird)
- 毛 feathers (of the phoenix)
- 麟 qilin (mythical creature)
- 角 horn (of the qilin)
Example

像他这样的天才在我们学校真是凤毛麟角。

xiàng tā zhè yàng de tiān cái zài wǒ men xué xiào zhēn shì fèng máo lín jiǎo

A genius like him is extremely rare in our school.
5 棱角 léng jiǎo — edges and corners HSK 7
- 棱 edge, ridge
- 角 corner, angle
Example

这块石头很光滑，没有棱角。

zhè kuài shí tou hěn guāng hua méi yǒu léng jiǎo

This stone is very smooth, without any edges and corners.