门可罗雀
- Literal
- at the gate one can catch sparrows with a net
- Figurative
- So deserted you could net sparrows at the door: a business with no customers, or someone nobody visits anymore.
Where does 门可罗雀 come from?
It comes from the 《史记》, from the remarks with which Sima Qian closes the biography of Ji An and Zheng Dangshi, two officials whose visitors melted away whenever they lost power. To make the point he tells of Lord Zhai of Xiagui: while he was commandant of justice, guests crowded his gate; once dismissed, you could have set bird nets in front of it. When he regained office and the old callers wanted to come back, he wrote on his gate that it is through life and death, poverty and wealth, rank and disgrace that you learn what friendship is. Today it describes any deserted place.
Source (出处): 《史记·汲郑列传》
How is 门可罗雀 used? Two examples
- 自从旁边开了大商场，这家老书店就门可罗雀了。
Ever since the big mall opened next door, the old bookshop has been deserted.
- 他得势时朋友一大堆，一失势就门可罗雀了。
While he had power he had friends by the dozen; the moment he lost it, nobody came to his door.
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