人山人海

rén shān rén hǎi

  • Meaning

    Literal

    “People mountain people sea"

    Usage

    Used to refer to a heavily crowded place

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    广场上人山人海 | Guǎngchǎng shàng rénshānrénhǎi
    The public square is extremely crowded
    [Source]

    劳动节已经开始了，现在市区里人山人海 | Láodòngjié yǐjīng kāishǐ le, xiànzài shìqū lǐ rénshānrénhǎi
    Labor Day has already arrived, and the city is full of people
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    Sea of people

    Chinese

    None

  • Entry Notes

    None

  • Origin

    《水浒全传》(Shuǐ Hǔ Quán Zhuàn) by 施耐庵 (Shī Nài Ān). The novel has many different English names, including "Water Margin" and "Outlaws of the Marsh."

  • Story

    This chengyu is from a line in the work listed in the "Origin" section above

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]