三三两两
sān sān liǎng liǎng
in twos and threes
Character by character
三sān
three
three
三sān
three
three
两liǎng
two
two
两liǎng
two
two
Example
下课了，学生们三三两两地走出教室。
Class ended and the students drifted out in twos and threes.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Describes people scattered in small groups; 三五成群 is close.
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