"three years ago" Chinese-English Dictionary

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Chinese Pinyin Translation Actions
大前年 dà qián nián three years ago
Chinese Pinyin Translation Actions
只不过几年前 只不過幾年前 zhǐ bù guò jǐ nián qián only a few years ago / just a few years ago
三星 sān xīng 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
三方通话 sān fāng tòng huà three-party call / three party calling / three-party conference / three-way calling
早年 zǎo nián many years ago / in the past / in one's early years syn
几年 幾年 jǐ nián a few years / several years / how many years?
最近几年 最近幾年 zuì jìn jǐ nián the last few years / last several years / recent years
三项 三項 sān xiàng three items / three events / three terms / tri- / trinomial, ternary (math.) / triathlon (abbr. for 三項全能|三项全能)
三顾茅庐 三顧茅廬 sān gù máo lú lit. to make three visits to the thatched cottage (idiom) (allusion to an episode in Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1 guo2 Yan3 yi4] in which Liu Bei 劉備|刘备[Liu2 Bei4] recruits Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮|诸葛亮[Zhu1 ge3 Liang4] to his cause by visiting him three times) / fig. to make earnest and repeated requests of sb syn
连中三元 連中三元 lián zhòng sān yuán (old) to rank first in the imperial examinations at the provincial capital, the national capital and the palace successively / (sports etc) to achieve three successes in a row (three matches in a row, three goals in a match etc)
前些 qián xiē a few (days, years etc) ago
侏罗纪 侏羅紀 zhū luó jì Jurassic (geological period 205-140m years ago)
中生代 zhōng shēng dài Mesozoic (geological era 250-65m years ago, covering Triassic 三疊紀|三叠纪, Jurassic 侏羅紀|侏罗纪 and Cretaceous 白堊紀|白垩纪)
白垩纪 白堊紀 bái è jì Cretaceous (geological period 140-65m years ago)
古生代 gǔ shēng dài Paleozoic, geological era 545-250m years ago, covering Cambrian 寒武紀|寒武纪, Ordovician 奧陶紀|奥陶纪, Silurian 志留紀|志留纪, Devonian 泥盆紀|泥盆纪, Carboniferous 石炭紀|石炭纪, Permian 二疊紀|二叠纪
三叠纪 三疊紀 sān dié jì Triassic (geological period 250-205m years ago)
奥陶纪 奧陶紀 ào táo jì Ordovician (geological period 495-440m years ago)
白垩世 白堊世 bái è shì Cretaceous (geological period 140-65m years ago)
二叠纪 二疊紀 èr dié jì Permian (geological period 292-250m years ago)
二迭纪 二迭紀 èr dié jì Permian (geological period 292-250m years ago) / also written 二疊紀|二叠纪
寒武纪 寒武紀 hán wǔ jì Cambrian geological period (541-485.4 million years ago)
泥盆纪 泥盆紀 ní pén jì Devonian (geological period 417-354m years ago)
三迭纪 三迭紀 sān dié jì Triassic (geological period 250-205m years ago) / also written 三疊紀|三叠纪
石炭纪 石炭紀 shí tàn jì Carboniferous (geological period 354-292m years ago)
志留纪 志留紀 zhì liú jì Silurian (geological period 440-417m years ago)
第三纪 第三紀 dì sān jì third period / tertiary (geological era since the extinction of the dinosaurs at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary 65 million years ago)
上新世 shàng xīn shì Pliocene (geological epoch from 5m-2m years ago)
下寒武 xià hán wǔ lower Cambrian (geological period approx 530 million years ago)
下寒武统 下寒武統 xià hán wǔ tǒng lower Cambrian series (geological strata from approx 530 million years ago)
中新世 zhōng xīn shì Miocene (geological epoch from 24m-5m years ago)
元古代 yuán gǔ dài Proterozoic (geological era 2500-540m years ago)
前寒武纪 前寒武紀 qián hán wǔ jì pre-Cambrian, geological period before c. 540m years ago
千年前 qiān nián qián a thousand years ago
古新世 gǔ xīn shì Palaeocene (geological epoch from 65m-55m years ago)
埃迪卡拉 āi dí kǎ lā Ediacaran (c. 635-542 million years ago), late phase of pre-Cambrian geological era
埃迪卡拉纪 埃迪卡拉紀 āi dí kǎ lā jì Ediacaran period (c. 635-542 million years ago), late phase of pre-Cambrian geological era
太古代 tài gǔ dài Archaeozoic (geological era before 2500m years ago)
太古宙 tài gǔ zhòu Archaean (geological eon before 2500m years ago)
始新世 shǐ xīn shì Eocene (geological epoch from 55m-34m years ago)
始新纪 始新紀 shǐ xīn jì Eocene (geological epoch from 55m-34m years ago)
寒武 hán wǔ Cambrian (geological period 545-495m years ago)
更新世 gēng xīn shì Pleistocene (geological epoch from 2m years ago, covering the most recent ice ages)
渐新世 漸新世 jiàn xīn shì Oligocene (geological epoch from 34m-24m years ago)
艾迪卡拉 ài dí kǎ lā Ediacaran (c. 635-542 million years ago), late phase of pre-Cambrian geological era / also written 埃迪卡拉[Ai1 di2 ka3 la1]
万年前 萬年前 wàn nián qián ten thousand years ago
震旦纪 震旦紀 zhèn dàn jì Sinian (c. 800-542 million years ago), late phase of pre-Cambrian geological era
五百年前是一家 wǔ bǎi nián qián shì yī jiā five hundred years ago we were the same family (idiom) (said of persons with the same surname)
大前天 dà qián tiān three days ago
多年 duō nián many years / for many years / longstanding syn
年间 年間 nián jiān in the years of / during those years / period (of dynasty or decade) syn
历年 歷年 lì nián over the years / bygone years syn
数年 數年 shù nián several years / many years
往年 wǎng nián in former years / in previous years syn
连年 連年 lián nián successive years / over many years syn
昔年 xī nián former years / previous years syn
经年累月 經年累月 jīng nián lěi yuè for years / over the years syn
颐养天年 頤養天年 yí yǎng tiān nián lit. to nurture one's years (idiom) / fig. to enjoy one's later years
十年树木,百年树人 十年樹木,百年樹人 shí nián shù mù , bǎi nián shù rén It takes ten years to nurture a tree, but a hundred years to train a man (idiom). A good education program takes a long time to develop.
沈阳故宫 瀋陽故宮 shěn yáng gù gōng Mukden Palace, aka Shenyang Imperial Palace, the main imperial palace during the early years of the Qing dynasty (1625-1644), a secondary palace in subsequent years, now a museum
三十年河东,三十年河西 三十年河東,三十年河西 sān shí nián hé dōng , sān shí nián hé xī the river flows thirty years to the East, thirty years to the West (proverb) / change is the only constant
十年树木,百年树人 十年樹木,百年樹人 shí nián - shù mù , bǎi nián - shù rén (idiom) it takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred years to cultivate people
韶华 韶華 sháo huá (literary) prime years / youthful years syn
三年 sān nián three years
上下五千年 shàng xià wǔ qiān nián Tales from 5000 Years of Chinese History in three volumes by Cao Yuzhang 曹餘章|曹余章[Cao2 Yu2 zhang1]
大后年 大後年 dà hòu nián three years from now / year after year after next year
一日不见,如隔三秋 一日不見,如隔三秋 yī rì bù jiàn , rú gé sān qiū one day apart seems like three years (idiom)
三国 三國 sān guó Three Kingdoms period (220-280) in Chinese history / any of several Three Kingdoms periods in Korean history, esp. from 1st century AD to unification under Silla 新羅|新罗[Xin1luo2] in 658
三个代表 三個代表 sān gè dài biǎo the Three Represents, a set of three guiding principles for the CCP introduced by Jiang Zemin 江澤民|江泽民[Jiang1 Ze2 min2] in 2000 and enshrined in the Constitution in 2004
三次 sān cì third / three times / (math.) degree three, cubic (equation)
诸葛亮 諸葛亮 zhū gě liàng Zhuge Liang (181-234), military leader and prime minister of Shu Han 蜀漢|蜀汉[Shu3 Han4] during the Three Kingdoms period / the main hero of the fictional Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义[San1guo2 Yan3yi4], where he is portrayed as a sage and military genius / (fig.) a mastermind syn
三代 sān dài three generations of a family / the three earliest dynasties (Xia, Shang and Zhou)
约法三章 約法三章 yuē fǎ sān zhāng to agree on three laws (idiom) / three-point covenant / (fig.) preliminary agreement / basic rules syn
鼎足 dǐng zú lit. the three legs of a tripod / fig. three competing rivals
zhōng a (large) bell (CL:架[jia4]) / clock (CL:座[zuo4]) / amount of time / o'clock (CL:點|点[dian3],分[fen1],秒[miao3]) (as in 三點鐘|三点钟[san1dian3zhong1] "three o'clock" or "three hours" or 五分鐘|五分钟[wu3fen1zhong1] "five minutes" etc) syn
三纲五常 三綱五常 sān gāng wǔ cháng three principles and five virtues (idiom) / the three rules (ruler guides subject, father guides son and husband guides wife) and five constant virtues of Confucianism (benevolence 仁, righteousness 義|义, propriety 禮|礼, wisdom 智 and fidelity 信)
三国演义 三國演義 sān guó yǎn yì Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong 羅貫中|罗贯中[Luo2 Guan4 zhong1], one of the Four Classic Novels of Chinese literature, a fictional account of the Three Kingdoms at the break-up of the Han around 200 AD, portraying Liu Bei's 劉備|刘备[Liu2 Bei4] Shu Han 蜀漢|蜀汉[Shu3 Han4] as heroes and Cao Cao's 曹操[Cao2 Cao1] Wei 魏[Wei4] as villains
三国史记 三國史記 sān guó shǐ jì History of Three Kingdoms (Korean: Samguk Sagi), the oldest extant Korean history, compiled under Kim Busik 金富軾|金富轼[Jin1 Fu4 shi4] in 1145. The three kingdoms are Goguryeo 高句麗|高句丽[Gao1 gou1 li2], Baekje 百濟|百济[Bai3 ji4], Silla 新羅|新罗[Xin1 luo2].
三家村 sān jiā cūn (lit.) village of three households / the Three Family Village, an essay column in a Beijing newspaper from 1961-1966, written by Deng Tuo 鄧拓|邓拓[Deng4 Tuo4], Wu Han 吳晗|吴晗[Wu2 Han2] and Liao Mosha 廖沫沙[Liao4 Mo4 sha1], criticized as anti-Party during the Cultural Revolution syn
三对三斗牛 三對三鬥牛 sān duì sān dòu niú three-on-three basketball game
三曹 sān cáo the Three Caos (Cao Cao 曹操 and his sons Cao Pi 曹丕 and Cao Zhi 曹植), who established the Wei or Cao Wei dynasty 曹魏, and were all three noted poets and calligraphers
三江并流 三江並流 sān jiāng bìng liú Three Parallel Rivers National Park, in mountainous northwest Yunnan World Heritage protected area: the three rivers are Nujiang 怒江[Nu4 jiang1] or Salween, Jinsha 金沙江[Jin1 sha1 jiang1] or upper reaches of Changjiang and Lancang 瀾滄江|澜沧江[Lan2 cang1 Jiang1] or Mekong
3+3委员会 3+3委員會 three plus three Commission / 3 + 3 Commission
叁维地震勘探 三維地震勘探 three-dimensional seismics / 3D survey / 3D work / three-D shooting
五加一小组 五加一小組 wǔ jiā yī xiǎo zǔ five plus one group / three plus three group
三加三小组 三加三小組 sān jiā sān xiǎo zǔ five plus one group / three plus three group
叁参数转换 三參數轉換 three-parameter transformation / three-parameter conversion
三族 sān zú (old) three generations (father, self and sons) / three clans (your own, your mother's, your wife's)
事不过三 事不過三 shì bù guò sān (idiom) a thing should not be attempted more than three times / don't repeat the same mistake again and again / (idiom) bad things don't happen more than three times
三个和尚没水喝 三個和尚沒水喝 sān gè hé shang méi shuǐ hē lit. three monks have no water to drink (idiom) / fig. everybody's business is nobody's business / (If there is one monk, he will fetch water for himself. If there are two, they will fetch water together. But if there are three or more, none will take it upon himself to fetch water.)
三不朽 sān bù xiǔ the three imperishables, three ways to distinguish oneself that aren't forgotten by history: through one's virtue 立德[li4 de2], one's service 立功[li4 gong1] and one's writings 立言[li4 yan2] (from the Zuo Zhuan 左傳|左传[Zuo3 Zhuan4])
以前 yǐ qián before / formerly / previous / ago syn
之前 zhī qián before / prior to / ago / previously / beforehand syn
刚刚 剛剛 gāng gang just recently / just a moment ago syn
日前 rì qián the other day / a few days ago syn
前几天 前幾天 qián jǐ tiān a few days ago / a few days before / the past few days / the previous few days
不久前 bù jiǔ qián not long ago syn
前不久 qián bù jiǔ not long ago / not long before syn
适才 適才 shì cái just now / a moment ago (often used in the early vernacular) syn
距今 jù jīn before the present / (a long period) ago
曾几何时 曾幾何時 céng jǐ hé shí just a while before / not so long ago / everyone can remember when.. syn
The four tones The four tones of Mandarin Pitch over time: tone 1 high and level (red), tone 2 rising (orange), tone 3 falling then rising (green), tone 4 falling (blue). tone 1 tone 2 tone 3 tone 4 Time Pitch

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