层出不穷
- Literal
- to come out layer after layer without running out
- Figurative
- To keep appearing one after another, in such numbers that there is no end to them in sight.
Where does 层出不穷 come from?
It doesn't start from a story: it's a written-register formula. 层 means layers or strata, working here as "layer after layer"; 出 is "to come out, to appear"; and 不穷 says the supply never runs dry, since 穷 in classical Chinese means "to reach the limit, to be exhausted." The picture is of something coming out layer by layer, one after another, with no last layer in sight. It suits good things (inventions, new talent) as readily as bad ones (scams, breakdowns), and what it always adds is the sense that there's no stopping them.
How is 层出不穷 used? Two examples
- 网上的新骗术层出不穷，一定要小心。
New online scams keep popping up one after another, so you really have to be careful.
- 这几年新的手机品牌层出不穷。
New phone brands have been appearing nonstop these past few years.
In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.
