三人行

Chinese

		three	man; person; people	to go; to do; capable to go; to do; capable; all right; competent; OK; to travel; temporary; to walk; will do; behaviour; conduct; a row; profession; professional
simp. and trad. (三人行)		三	人	行

Etymology

A famous quote from the Analects:

子曰：「三人行，必有我師焉。擇其善者而從之，其不善者而改之。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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子曰：「三人行，必有我师焉。择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐ yuē: “Sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī yān. Zé qí shàn zhě ér cóng zhī, qí bù shàn zhě ér gǎi zhī.” [Pinyin]

The Master said, “When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them.”

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sānrénxíng

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ ㄖㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): saam¹ jan⁴ hang⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sānrénxíng
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ ㄖㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sanrénsíng
    • Wade–Giles: san¹-jên²-hsing²
    • Yale: sān-rén-syíng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanrenshyng
    • Palladius: саньжэньсин (sanʹžɛnʹsin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sän⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: saam¹ jan⁴ hang⁴
    • Yale: sāam yàhn hàhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: saam¹ jan⁴ hang⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: sam¹ yen⁴ heng⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːm⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ hɐŋ²¹/

Idiom

三人行

1. (literally) three people walking together
2. (figurative, slang) threesome

Derived terms

• 三人行，必有我師／三人行，必有我师 (sānrénxíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī)