Meaning of 再三
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- over and over again
- again and again
How to use 再三
再三 usually comes before a verb to show someone did something several times, often with care or insistence. It pairs well with verbs like 考虑 (kǎolǜ), 强调 (qiángdiào), and 嘱咐 (zhǔfù). Example: 他再三考虑以后才决定。(Tā zàisān kǎolǜ yǐhòu cái juédìng.) He decided only after thinking it over again and again.
再 (zài) means again, and 三 (sān) is three. Doing something again for a third time is the picture of 再三: over and over.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 再三 literally as exactly three times. It just means many times, and it often carries a sense of earnestness. Also keep the tones: zài is fourth tone and sān is first tone.
再三 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
再 zài · again · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
三 sān · three · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 再三.
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye; see you again later |
| 一再 | yīzài | repeatedly |
| 再次 | zàicì | once more; once again |
| 再也 | zài yě | (not) ever again; (not) any longer |
| 不再 | bùzài | no more; no longer |
| 再说 | zàishuō | to say again; to put off a discussion until later |
| 三明治 | sānmíngzhì | (loanword) sandwich |
| 再生 | zàishēng | to be reborn; to regenerate |
| 再度 | zàidù | once more; once again; one more time |
| 三角 | sānjiǎo | triangle; (math.) trigonometry (abbr. for 三角學|三角学[san1 jiao3 xue2]) |
| 再现 | zàixiàn | to recreate; to reconstruct (a historical relic) |
| 接二连三 | jiē'èr-liánsān | (idiom) one after another; in quick succession |
Questions about 再三
What does 再三 mean?
再三 (zàisān) means "over and over again; again and again" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 再三?
再三 is made of 2 characters: 再 (6 strokes), 三 (3 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 再三 an HSK word?
Yes. 再三 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 再三 and 一再?
Both mean repeatedly and often work in the same sentences. 再三 tends to suggest careful or earnest repetition, like 再三考虑. 一再 often stresses that something keeps happening, sometimes with annoyance, like 一再迟到 (yīzài chídào), being late again and again.
Can 再三 be used after a verb?
Yes, in some set phrases such as 考虑再三 (kǎolǜ zàisān), to think it over many times. In most sentences, though, it goes before the verb as an adverb.