小三

Chinese

		small; tiny; few small; tiny; few; young	three
simp. and trad. (小三)		小	三
anagram		三小
Literally: “little third person (sense 1)”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiǎosān

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄙㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): siu² saam¹
• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁵shiau-se

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiǎosān
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄙㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siǎosan
    • Wade–Giles: hsiao³-san¹
    • Yale: syǎu-sān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sheausan
    • Palladius: сяосань (sjaosanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ sän⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiǎosānr
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄙㄢㄦ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siǎosanr
    • Wade–Giles: hsiao³-san¹-ʼrh
    • Yale: syǎu-sānr
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sheausal
    • Palladius: сяосаньр (sjaosanʹr)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ sɑɻ⁵⁵/

Note: xiǎosānr - "the other woman; the other man".

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: siu² saam¹
    • Yale: síu sāam
    • Cantonese Pinyin: siu² saam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: xiu² sam¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːu̯³⁵ saːm⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁵shiau-se
    • MiniDict: shiau^去 se
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²xiau-se
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕiɔ³³ se⁴⁴/

Noun

小三

1. (neologism, colloquial) other woman; someone romantically involved with a person already in a committed relationship; mistress

   小三勸退師／小三劝退师  ―  xiǎosān quàntuìshī  ―  one who helps a woman dispel her husband's mistress; mistress dissuader

2. primary three; third year in primary school

Synonyms

• (other woman): 第三者 (dìsānzhě) (literally, "the third party")

See also

• 正室 (zhèngshì)