three major stars of the Three Stars 參宿|参宿[Shen1 xiu4] Chinese constellation / the belt of Orion / three spirits 福[fu2], 祿|禄[lu4], and 壽|寿[shou4] associated with the Three Stars 參宿|参宿[Shen1 xiu4] Chinese constellation
Three Kingdoms period (220-280) in Chinese history / several Three Kingdoms periods in Korean history, esp. from 1st century AD to unification under Silla 新羅|新罗[Xin1 luo2] in 658
三个代表
Sān gè Dài biǎo
the Three Represents enunciated by Jiang Zemin 江澤民|江泽民 / as the duty of the Chinese Communist party in 2001, namely: to represent productivity of an advanced society, forward progress of advanced culture and the fundamental interests of the people
Three Gorges on the Chang Jiang or Yangtze, namely: Qutang Gorge 瞿塘峽|瞿塘峡[Qu2 tang2 Xia2], Wuxia Gorge 巫峽|巫峡[Wu1 Xia2] and Xiling Gorge 西陵峽|西陵峡[Xi1 ling2 Xia2] / Sanxia or Sanhsia town in New Taipei City 新北市[Xin1 bei3 shi4], Taiwan
大桥
Dà Qiáo
Da Qiao, one of the Two Qiaos, according to Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1 guo2 Yan3 yi4], the two great beauties of ancient China
Zhuge Liang (181-234), military leader and prime minister of Shu Han 蜀漢|蜀汉 / during the Three Kingdoms period / the main hero of the fictional Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义, where he is portrayed as a sage and military genius / mastermind
三国志
Sān guó zhì
History of the Three Kingdoms, fourth of the 24 dynastic histories 二十四史[Er4 shi2 si4 Shi3], composed by Chen Shou 陳壽|陈寿[Chen2 Shou4] in 289 during Jin Dynasty 晉朝|晋朝[Jin4 chao2], 65 scrolls
三条
sān tiáo
three of a kind (poker)
三代
sān dài
three generations of a family / the three earliest dynasties (Xia, Shang and Zhou)
关羽
Guān Yǔ
Guan Yu (-219), general of Shu and blood-brother of Liu Bei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, fearsome fighter famous for virtue and loyalty / posthumously worshipped and identified with the guardian Bodhisattva Sangharama
露点
lù diǎn
dew point / (coll.) (of a woman) to expose one of the three areas (nipples and genitals)
天皇
tiān huáng
Heavenly Sovereign, one of the three legendary sovereigns 三皇[san1 huang2] / emperor / emperor of Japan
张飞
Zhāng Fēi
Zhang Fei (168-221), general of Shu and blood-brother of Liu Bei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, famous as fearsome fighter and lover of wine
赵云
Zhào Yún
Zhao Yun (-229), general of Shu in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Su Shi (1037-1101), also known as Su Dongpo 蘇東坡|苏东坡[Su1 Dong1 po1] northern Song Dynasty writer and calligrapher / one of the Three Su father and sons 三蘇|三苏[San1 Su1] and one of the Eight Giants of Tang and Song Prose 唐宋八大家[Tang2 Song4 Ba1 Da4 jia1]
周瑜
Zhōu Yú
Zhou Yu (175-210), famous general of the southern Wu kingdom and victor of the battle of Redcliff / in Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1 guo2 Yan3 yi4], absolutely no match for Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮|诸葛亮[Zhu1 ge3 Liang4]
立功
lì gōng
to render meritorious service (one the three imperishables 三不朽[san1 bu4 xiu3]) / to make worthy contributions / to distinguish oneself
东吴
Dōng Wú
Eastern Wu (222-280) / the southern state of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, founded by Sun Quan 孫權|孙权
三围
sān wéi
BWH, abbr. for a woman's three measurements, namely: bust 胸圍|胸围[xiong1 wei2], waist 腰圍|腰围[yao1 wei2] and hip 臀圍|臀围[tun2 wei2]
民族主义
mín zú zhǔ yì
nationalism / national self-determination / principle of nationalism, the first of Dr Sun Yat-sen's 孫中山|孙中山 / Three Principles of the People 三民主義|三民主义 / (at the time, meaning parity between China and the great powers) / racism
小雅
xiǎo yǎ
one of the three main divisions of the Book of Songs 詩經|诗经
孙权
Sūn Quán
Sun Quan (reigned 222-252), southern warlord and king of state of Wu 吳|吴[Wu2] in the Three Kingdoms period
Wei State (407-225 BC), one of the Seven Hero States of the Warring States 戰國七雄|战国七雄 / Wei State or Cao Wei 曹魏 / (220-265), the most powerful of the Three Kingdoms
the three rural issues: agriculture, rural areas and peasants
人之初
rén zhī chū
man at birth (is fundamentally good in nature) / the first line of Three character classic 三字經|三字经[San1 zi4 jing1]
三皇
sān huáng
the three legendary sovereigns of the third millennium BC: Suiren 燧人[Sui4 ren2], Fuxi 伏羲[Fu2 Xi1] and Shennong 神農|神农[Shen2 nong2], or 天皇|天皇[Tian1 huang2], 地皇|地皇[Di4 huang2] and 人皇|人皇[Ren2 huang2]
大雅
dà yǎ
one of the three main divisions of the Book of Songs 詩經|诗经
蜀国
Shǔ guó
Sichuan / the state of Shu in Sichuan at different periods / the Shu Han dynasty (214-263) of Liu Bei 劉備|刘备 / during the Three Kingdoms
三教
Sān Jiào
the Three Doctrines (Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism)
四大名著
sì dà míng zhù
the Four Classic Novels of Chinese literature, namely: A Dream of Red Mansions 紅樓夢|红楼梦[Hong2 lou2 Meng4], Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1 guo2 Yan3 yi4], Water Margin 水滸傳|水浒传[Shui3 hu3 Zhuan4], Journey to the West 西遊記|西游记[Xi1 you2 Ji4]
蜀汉
Shǔ Hàn
Shu Han (c. 200-263), Liu Bei's kingdom in Sichuan during the Three Kingdoms, claiming legitimacy as successor of Han
赤壁之战
Chì bì zhī zhàn
Battle of Redcliff of 208 at Chibi in Huangzhou district 黃州區|黄州区[Huang2 zhou1 qu1] of Huanggang city 黃岡|黄冈[Huang2 gang1], a decisive defeat of Cao Cao 曹操[Cao2 Cao1] at the hands of southern kingdom of Wu / famous episode in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1 guo2 Yan3 yi4]
三鲜
sān xiān
three fresh ingredients (in cooking)
退避三舍
tuì bì sān shè
lit. to retreat three day's march (idiom) / fig. to give way in the face of superior strength / a strategic withdrawal
东三省
Dōng sān Shěng
the three provinces of Northeast China, namely: Liaoning Province 遼寧省|辽宁省[Liao2 ning2 Sheng3], Jilin Province 吉林省[Ji2 lin2 Sheng3] and Heilongjiang Province 黑龍江省|黑龙江省[Hei1 long2 jiang1 Sheng3]
什刹海
shí chà hǎi
Shichahai, scenic area of northwest Beijing with three lakes
五虎将
Wǔ hǔ jiàng
Liu Bei's five great generals in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, namely: Guan Yu 關羽|关羽, Zhang Fei 張飛|张飞, Zhao Yun 趙雲|赵云, Ma Chao 馬超|马超, Huang Zhong 黃忠|黄忠
Dr Sun Yat-sen's 孫中山|孙中山 / Three Principles of the People (late 1890s)
三北
Sān běi
China's three northern regions, 東北|东北[Dong1 bei3], 華北|华北[Hua2 bei3] and 西北[Xi1 bei3]
三废
sān fèi
three types of waste product, namely: waste water 廢水|废水[fei4 shui3], exhaust gas 廢氣|废气[fei4 qi4], industrial slag 廢渣|废渣[fei4 zha1]
唐诗三百首
Táng shī sān bǎi shǒu
Three Hundred Tang Poems, an anthology collected around 1763 by Sun Zhu 孫誅|孙诛[Sun1 Zhu1]
朝三暮四
zhāo sān mù sì
lit. say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom) / to change sth that is already settled upon / indecisive / to blow hot and cold
华容道
Huá róng Dào
Huarong Road (traditional puzzle involving sliding wooden blocks, loosely based on an episode in Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1 guo2 Yan3 yi4])
巫峡
Wū Xiá
Wuxia Gorge on the Changjiang or Yangtze, the middle of the Three Gorges 三峽|三峡[San1 Xia2]
韬略
tāo lu:è
military strategy / military tactics / originally refers to military classics Six Secret Teachings 六韜|六韬[Liu4 tao1] and Three Strategies 三略[San1 lu:e4]
罗贯中
Luó Guàn zhōng
Luo Guanzhong (c. 1330-c. 1400), author of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other works
三顾茅庐
sān gù máo lú
lit. three humble visits to a thatched cottage / cf famous episode in the fictional Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义 / in which Liu Bei 劉備|刘备 / recruits Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮|诸葛亮 / (the Hidden Dragon 臥龍|卧龙) to his cause by visiting him three times
曹魏
Cáo Wèi
Cao Wei, the most powerful of the Three Kingdoms, established as a dynasty in 220 by Cao Pi 曹丕, son of Cao Cao, replaced by Jin dynasty in 265
三原则
sān yuán zé
the Three Principles (in many contexts)
瀛洲
Yíng zhōu
Yingzhou, easternmost of three fabled islands in Eastern sea, home of immortals and source of elixir of immortality
三思而行
sān sī ér xíng
think three times then go (idiom) / don't act before you've thought it through carefully
脱脱
Tuō tuō
Toktoghan (1314-1355), Mongol politician during the Yuan dynasty, prime minister until 1345, compiled three dynastic histories of Song 宋史, Liao 遼史|辽史 / and Jin 金史 / also written Tuoketuo 托克托
狄仁杰
Dí Rén jié
Di Renjie (607-700), Tang dynasty politician, prime minister under Wu Zetian, subsequently hero of legends / master sleuth Judge Dee, aka Chinese Sherlock Holmes, in novel Three murder cases solved by Judge Dee 狄公案[Di2 gong1 an4] translated by Dutch sinologist R.H. van Gulik 高羅珮|高罗佩[Gao1 Luo2 pei4]
百济
Bǎi jì
Paekche or Baekje (18 BC-660 AD), one of the Korean Three Kingdoms
三春
sān chūn
the three spring months
淮海战役
Huái hǎi Zhàn yì
Huaihai Campaign (Nov 1948-Jan 1949), one of the three major campaigns by the People's Liberation Army near the end of the Chinese Civil War, considered the determining battle of the war
广雅
Guǎng yǎ
earliest extant Chinese encyclopedia from Wei of the Three Kingdoms, 3rd century, modeled on Erya 爾雅|尔雅[Er3 ya3], 18150 entries
三伏
sān fú
the three annual periods of hot weather, namely 初伏[chu1 fu2], 中伏[zhong1 fu2] and 末伏[mo4 fu2], which run consecutively over a period from mid-July to late August
太和殿
Tài hé diàn
Hall of Supreme Harmony, the largest of the three halls that constitute the heart of the Outer Court of the Forbidden City 紫禁城[Zi3 jin4 cheng2]
中伏
zhōng fú
the second of the three annual periods of hot weather (三伏[san1 fu2]), which begins in late July and lasts either 10 or 20 days, depending on the Chinese calendar in that year
鼎足
dǐng zú
lit. the three legs of a tripod / fig. three competing rivals
袁枚
Yuán Méi
Yuan Mei (1716-1798), famous Qing poet and critic, one of Three great poets of the Qianlong era 乾嘉三大家
瞿塘峡
Qū táng Xiá
Qutang Gorge, 8 km long gorge on the Changjiang or Yangtze in Chongqing 重慶|重庆[Chong2 qing4], the upper of the Three Gorges 三峽|三峡[San1 Xia2]
大后天
dà hòu tiān
three days from now / day after day after tomorrow
神女峰
Shén nu:3 Fēng
name of a peak by the Three Gorges 長江三峽|长江三峡[Chang2 Jiang1 San1 xia2]
两面三刀
liǎng miàn sān dāo
two-faced, three knives (idiom) / double-cross / double dealing and back stabbing
sān
