三一三十一

Chinese

		three	one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)	thirty-one; 31
simp. and trad. (三一三十一)		三	一	三十一
Literally: “one divided by three is zero point three, leaving a one to the next digit”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sān yī sānshíyī

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ ㄧ ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄧ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): saam¹ jat¹ saam¹ sap⁶ jat¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sān yī sānshíyī
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ ㄧ ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄧ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: san yi sanshíhyi
    • Wade–Giles: san¹ i¹ san¹-shih²-i¹
    • Yale: sān yī sān-shŕ-yī
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: san i sanshyri
    • Palladius: сань и саньшии (sanʹ i sanʹšii)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sän⁵⁵ i⁵⁵ sän⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ i⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: saam¹ jat¹ saam¹ sap⁶ jat¹
    • Yale: sāam yāt sāam sahp yāt
    • Cantonese Pinyin: saam¹ jat⁷ saam¹ sap⁹ jat⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: sam¹ yed¹ sam¹ seb⁶ yed¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːm⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ saːm⁵⁵ sɐp̚² jɐt̚⁵/

Idiom

三一三十一

1. (division rule in abacus reckoning) one divided by three is zero point three, leaving a one to the next digit; 1/3=0.3……0.1
2. (figurative) to divide fairly between 3 people

See also

• 二一添作五 (èr yī tiānzuò wǔ)