三番五次
sān fān wǔ cì · HSK 7
over and over again (idiom)
🔁 三 three + 番 turns + 五 five + 次 times = doing it three-times-five-times, i.e. over and over
The numbers three and five stand in for many here, the way English says umpteen times. 番 and 次 are both counters for occurrences, so the whole idiom literally stacks repeated counts to mean repeatedly, again and again.
三 — three horizontal strokes 一 + 一 + 一
三 is a pictographic numeral: three stacked horizontal lines representing the number three, parallel to 一 (one) and 二 (two). The form has been stable since oracle bone script. It carries no phonetic component; the meaning 'three' is direct and visual.
番 — 釆 (animal tracks) on top + 田 (field) below
Originally a pictograph showing animal paw prints (釆) in a field (田), depicting tracks left by beasts. The early meaning related to taking turns or sequences, as tracks come one after another. It later extended to 'foreign' or 'barbarian,' and is now used as a measure word for occurrences or to mean 'number/turn.'
五 — two horizontal lines + crossed strokes
五 originally depicted two parallel lines (heaven and earth) with an X between them, representing the interaction of the five elements. Over time it became the standard numeral for 'five.' The ancient form 㐅 (just the X) was later framed by the two lines to distinguish it clearly as a number.
次 — 冫 ice + 欠 yawn/lack
Originally depicted a person (欠) sighing or hesitating, with 二 (later written 冫) marking repetition or a secondary position. The core sense developed from 'second in order' or 'next' into related meanings like 'sequence,' 'time/occurrence,' and 'inferior quality.'