"Three Visits in Quick Succession" originates from the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Zhuge Liang. It refers to Liu Bei visiting Zhuge Liang three times at Longzhong to invite him to come out of reclusion and serve as an advisor. In this phrase, "three" indicates multiple times, "visit" means to call upon, and "in quick succession" means frequently or repeatedly. The deeper meaning of this idiom is to describe sincerely and repeatedly inviting or visiting a person of worth and ability, reflecting an eager desire for talent and a humble, respectful attitude toward the worthy. It is mostly used in formal or written contexts, such as describing a leader earnestly requesting an expert to take up a post, or an enterprise sincerely inviting talent to join. In terms of cultural background, it carries the Confucian idea of honoring the worthy and valuing talent. It shares the same origin as "three visits to the thatched cottage," but places greater emphasis on the frequency and earnestness of the visits. Its emotional tone is positive, carrying a sense of respect, persistence, and humility, and it is often used to praise the sincerity of the inviter and the value of the person being invited.
📝 Example
1. In order to invite this old professor to serve as a consultant, he paid repeated visits and finally moved him. (Describing repeated sincere visits and invitations)
2. The company's general manager paid repeated visits to industry experts, hoping that they would join the technical team. (Describing taking the trouble to visit and invite talented people)