比肩继踵 – Bi Jian Ji Zhong – Crowded

Chengyu

比肩继踵 – bǐ jiān jì zhǒng

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Chinese Character Break Down

比 – compared
肩 – shoulders
继 – follow, continue
踵 – pace

比肩继踵: Shoulder to shoulder, following pace.

Idiom Meaning

Very straightforward this time: it’s really crowded. It’s a neutral expression, so depending on the context you can describe a fun party or a stuffy train with this Chengyu.

Chengyu Examples

公交车上人们比肩继踵，挤死我啦。
gōngjiāochēshàng rénmen bǐjiānjìzhòng, jǐsǐwǒ la.
The people on the bus stood shoulder to shoulder, it was super-poky.

节日里，公园里的人比肩继踵，玩得十分开心。
jiérìlǐ, gōngyuánlǐde rén bǐjiānjìzhòng, wánde shífēn kāixīn.
On holidays, the parks are full of people having tons of fun.

Chengyu Story and Background

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the country of Qi (齐国) sent a minister to the Kingdom of Chu (楚国). This minister was Master Yan (晏子) – a short, but wise man. The Chu were kinda busy fighting though and acted really impolite, didn’t even open the doors at first.

When they eventually let in Master Yan, the Chu king started laughing at his short stature. “You are such a dwarf! Don’t you have people in Qi country?” Master Yan answered: “Actually we have lots of people. We are walking shoulder by shoulder, following each others pace. How can you say there’s no people in Qi? But it’s our tradition to send the capable and notable diplomats to the wise and respectable kings. People like me are being sent to countries like yours.”

And so it was the Chu king who was getting ridiculed after all, bringing the shame upon himself.

What I found a little odd about this story, is that the idiom itself doesn’t reflect the morale in this particular story. If you know why this is, feel free to leave a comment! And, of course, don’t forget to enjoy another awesome video. Give it a little time, it’s hosted on Youku.

This story is being mentioned by Master Yan himself in Yanzi Chun Qiu. If you are interested, read the passage here (it’s in ancient Chinese).