三令五申
三令五申 (sān lìng wǔ shēn) literally means “three orders five reminders” and expresses “repeated, unmistakable instruction”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving strategy and action.
Also searched as: san ling wu shen, san ling wu shen,三令五申 meaning, 三令五申 in english
Repeated, unmistakable instruction
Pronunciation: sān lìng wǔ shēn Literal meaning: Three orders five reminders
Origin & Usage
The Records of the Grand Historian anchors this phrase in Sun Wu's audition for the King of Wu, who asked whether the theorist could really drill troops and gave him a hundred and eighty palace women to try it on. Sun Wu formed them into two companies under the king's two favourite concubines, set out the drum signals, and went over the orders repeatedly (三令五申) before beginning. The women only laughed. He said that when orders are unclear the fault is the general's, but when they are clear and still disobeyed the fault is the officers' — and had the two favourites executed over the king's protest. The rest drilled in perfect silence afterwards. The phrase now describes rules laid down so often that nobody can claim not to have heard them, and it usually carries the implication that they were broken anyway.
Examples
English: "The safety rules had been spelled out at every briefing before the accident"
Chinese: 事故发生前，安全规程在每次简报上都被反复强调
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about strategy & action
胸有成竹
xiōng yǒu chéng zhú
Have clear plan beforehand
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步步为营
bù bù wéi yíng
Advance methodically with caution
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退避三舍
tuì bì sān shè
Make concessions to avoid conflict
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旁敲侧击
páng qiāo cè jī
Approach indirectly to achieve goal
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暗度陈仓
àn dù chén cāng
Achieve secretly through misdirection
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釜底抽薪
fǔ dǐ chōu xīn
Eliminate root cause of problem
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推波助澜
tuī bō zhù lán
Amplifying existing trends or momentum
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鹬蚌相争
yù bàng xiāng zhēng
Mutual conflict benefits third party
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 三令五申 mean in English?
三令五申 (sān lìng wǔ shēn) literally translates to “Three orders five reminders” and is used to express “Repeated, unmistakable instruction”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Strategy & Action category.
When is 三令五申 used?
Situation: The safety rules had been spelled out at every briefing before the accident
What is the pinyin for 三令五申?
The pinyin pronunciation for 三令五申 is “sān lìng wǔ shēn”.