CHENGYU
三令五申(sān lìng wǔ shēn)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- formal
- Source:
- 《史记·孙子吴起列传》
MEANING
- Literal
- three orders and five restatements
- Figurative meaning
- to command and reiterate again and again
ORIGIN STORY
The strategist Sun Wu drilled the king's palace ladies with commands repeated "three times ordered, five times stated". When they still laughed, he executed two of the king's favorites — and the rest drilled perfectly.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to reiterate orders”
EXAMPLES
学校三令五申，禁止学生在宿舍用电炉。Xuéxiào sān lìng wǔ shēn, jìnzhǐ xuésheng zài sùshè yòng diànlú.HSK6
The school has ordered again and again: no electric stoves in the dormitory.
国家三令五申保护环境。Guójiā sān lìng wǔ shēn bǎohù huánjìng.HSK6
The state has repeatedly decreed that the environment must be protected.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 令 is lìng (order). It is official, repeated instruction — not personal nagging.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01