三令五申

Chinese

		three	to order	five	to explain
trad. (三令五申)		三	令	五	申
simp. #(三令五申)		三	令	五	申

Etymology

From Shiji, Vol. LXV (《史記·孫武列傳》):

約束既布，乃設鈇鉞，即三令五申之。於是鼓之右，婦人大笑。孫子曰：“約束不明，申令不熟，將之罪也。”復三令五申而鼓之左，婦人復大笑。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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约束既布，乃设𫓧钺，即三令五申之。于是鼓之右，妇人大笑。孙子曰：“约束不明，申令不熟，将之罪也。”复三令五申而鼓之左，妇人复大笑。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

Yuēshù jì bù, nǎi shè fū yuè, jí sān lìng wǔ shēn zhī. Yúshì gǔ zhī yòu, fùrén dàxiào. Sūnzǐ yuē: “Yuēshù bùmíng, shēnlìng bùshú, jiàng zhī zuì yě.” Fù sān lìng wǔ shēn ér gǔ zhī zuǒ, fùrén fù dàxiào. [Pinyin]

Only after these rules had been laid down, did he have [executioners’] swords and axes made ready and repeat his instructions a third and order “Turn right!” A few women burst out laughing. Sun Tzu said, “If the rules are not clear and orders are not understood, the commander is to blame.” Once more he repeated his instructions a fourth or a fifth time, then beat drums and gave the order for a left turn, yet once more a few women burst out laughing.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sānlìngwǔshēn

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ ㄌㄧㄥˋ ㄨˇ ㄕㄣ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): saam¹ ling⁶ ng⁵ san¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): sam-lēng-ngó͘-sin

  (Teochew, Peng'im): san¹ lêng⁶ ngou⁶ sing¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sānlìngwǔshēn
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ ㄌㄧㄥˋ ㄨˇ ㄕㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sanlìngwǔshen
    • Wade–Giles: san¹-ling⁴-wu³-shên¹
    • Yale: sān-lìng-wǔ-shēn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanlinqwuushen
    • Palladius: саньлинъушэнь (sanʹlinʺušɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sän⁵⁵ liŋ⁵¹ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂən⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: saam¹ ling⁶ ng⁵ san¹
    • Yale: sāam lihng ńgh sān
    • Cantonese Pinyin: saam¹ ling⁶ ng⁵ san¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sam¹ ling⁶ ng⁵ sen¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːm⁵⁵ lɪŋ²² ŋ̍¹³ sɐn⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sam-lēng-ngó͘-sin
    • Tâi-lô: sam-līng-ngóo-sin
    • Phofsit Daibuun: samlexngngofsyn
    • Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /sam⁴⁴⁻²² liɪŋ²²⁻²¹ ŋɔ̃⁵³⁻⁴⁴ sin⁴⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /sam³³ liɪŋ⁴¹⁻²² ŋɔ̃⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ sin³³/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /sam⁴⁴⁻²² liɪŋ²²⁻²¹ ŋɔ̃⁵³⁻⁴⁴ sin⁴⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /sam⁴⁴⁻³³ liɪŋ³³⁻¹¹ ŋɔ̃⁵³⁻⁴⁴ sin⁴⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /sam⁴⁴⁻³³ liɪŋ³³⁻²¹ ŋɔ̃⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ sin⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: san¹ lêng⁶ ngou⁶ sing¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: saⁿ lĕng ngŏu sing
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sã³³⁻²³ leŋ³⁵⁻¹¹ ŋou³⁵⁻¹¹ siŋ³³/

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• Middle Chinese: samH ljengH nguX syin

Rime
Character	三	令	五	申
Reading #	2/2	4/5	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	來 (37)	疑 (31)	書 (26)
Final (韻)	談 (143)	清 (121)	模 (23)	眞 (43)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Departing (H)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	III	I	III
Fanqie	蘇暫切	力政切	疑古切	失人切
Baxter	samH	ljengH	nguX	syin
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sɑmH/	/liᴇŋH/	/ŋuoX/	/ɕiɪn/
Pan Wuyun	/sɑmH/	/liɛŋH/	/ŋuoX/	/ɕin/
Shao Rongfen	/sɑmH/	/liæŋH/	/ŋoX/	/ɕjen/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/samH/	/liajŋH/	/ŋɔX/	/ɕin/
Li Rong	/sɑmH/	/liɛŋH/	/ŋoX/	/ɕiĕn/
Wang Li	/sɑmH/	/lĭɛŋH/	/ŋuX/	/ɕĭĕn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/sɑmH/	/li̯ɛŋH/	/ŋuoX/	/ɕi̯ĕn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	sàn	lìng	wǔ	shēn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	saam3	ling6	ng5	san1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s.r[u]m-s  riŋ-s  C.ŋˤaʔ  l̥i[n]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*suːms  reŋs  ŋaːʔ  hlin/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	三	令	五	申
Reading #	2/2	3/3	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sān	lìng	wǔ	shēn
Middle Chinese	‹ samH ›	‹ ljengH ›	‹ nguX ›	‹ syin ›
Old Chinese	/*s.r[u]m-s/ (*s.r- > *s-, infl. by 四 *s-?)	/*riŋ-s/	/*C.ŋˁaʔ/	/*l̥i[n]/
English	three times	issue a command	five	9th earthly branch
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	三	令	五	申
Reading #	2/2	3/5	1/1	1/1
No.	10965	8284	13147	11235
Phonetic component	三	令	五	申
Rime group	侵	耕	魚	眞
Rime subdivision	3	0	0	1
Corresponding MC rime	三	令	五	申
Old Chinese	/*suːms/	/*reŋs/	/*ŋaːʔ/	/*hlin/
Notes				甲金文象閃電， 後轉註爲電字

Verb

三令五申

1. to repeatedly order, instruct, admonish or warn

   儘管你三令五申，有許多員工就是不肯照辦。 [MSC, trad.]
   尽管你三令五申，有许多员工就是不肯照办。 [MSC, simp.]

   Jǐnguǎn nǐ sānlìngwǔshēn, yǒu xǔduō yuángōng jiùshì bù kěn zhàobàn. [Pinyin]

   No matter how much you warn and admonish them, there are many employees who just aren't willing to do as they are told.