Chinese word

再三

Pronunciation

Pinyinzài sān

Meaning

  • adverbrepeatedly

Example

我再三道歉，他还是不原谅我。wǒ zài sān dào qiàn tā hái shì bù yuán liàng wǒ

I apologized repeatedly, but he still did not forgive me.

Illustration for 再三 (repeatedly)

More examples

他再三强调这一点，大家都记住了。tā zài sān qiáng diào zhè yì diǎn dà jiā dōu jì zhù le

He repeatedly emphasized this point, and everyone remembered it.

Core concept

An action that keeps returning, with the repeated rounds more important than the action itself.

Common phrases

  • 再三强调zài sān qiáng diào

    repeatedly emphasize

  • 再三提醒zài sān tí xǐng

    repeatedly remind

Similar words

反复fǎn fù: Repeatedly carrying out the same action or process as it keeps recurring.
一再yí zài: Repeating the same thing on several occasions, with emphasis on its happening again.

Definition in Chinese

屡次反复地做某事，侧重于回数多和一再发生，作副词用。lǚ cì fǎn fù dì zuò mǒu shì cè zhòng yú huí shù duō hé yí zài fā shēng zuò fù cí yòng

Word origin

再 (zài, "again") + 三 (sān, "three") forms an adverb in which 三 serves as an old count-strengthening element, giving the sense of repeated action rather than exactly three times.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, it often gives repeated apologies, requests, or reminders an emphatic tone, so the speaker's attitude matters as much as the number of repetitions.

Opposites

Word lists with this word