Chinese Conversation · Level 11
90 words
Chinese word
三位
Pronunciation
Pinyinsān wèi
Meaning
- numberthree people
Example
我们有三位客人。wǒ men yǒu sān wèi kè rén
We have three guests.
More examples
请稍等，前面有三位顾客在结账。qǐng shāo děng qián miàn yǒu sān wèi gù kè zài jié zhàng
Please wait a moment; three customers ahead are checking out.
Core concept
Three people grouped together with a respectful tone.
Common phrases
三位客人sān wèi kè rén
three guests
三位老师sān wèi lǎo shī
three teachers
三位同学sān wèi tóng xué
three classmates
Similar words
三个人sān gè rén: A casual way to refer to three people in everyday conversation.
三人sān rén: A short, neutral way to refer to three people in speech or writing.
三名sān míng: A formal way to refer politely to three people in official notices or announcements.
Definition in Chinese
表示三人的数量，用于指人时常带敬意，'位'为表示人的量词。biǎo shì sān rén de shù liàng yòng yú zhǐ rén shí cháng dài jìng yì wèi wèi biǎo shì rén de liàng cí
Word origin
三位 (sānwèi, "three people") combines 三 (sān, "three") with 位 (wèi, "person-counting measure word"), whose older sense of a person's position or status supports its respectful use for people.
Usage tips
- In customer service, invitations, and public announcements, this form helps speech sound polite rather than merely casual.