Triad

Secret society, founded in China as a Buddhist cult AD 36. It became known as the Triad because the triangle played a significant part in the initiation ceremony. Today it is reputed to be involved in organized crime (drugs, gambling, prostitution) among overseas Chinese. Its headquarters are alleged to be in Hong Kong.

In the 18th century the Triad became political, aiming at the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty, and backed the Taiping Rebellion 1851 and the establishment of a republic under Sun Zhong Shan (Sun Yat-sen) in 1912.

triad

Major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads.

In music, a chord of three notes consisting of a root, third, and fifth. There are four types of triad: major (for example C-E-G), minor (C-E flat-G), augmented (C-E-G sharp), and diminished (C-E flat-G flat).