门庭若市
- Literal
- gate and courtyard like a marketplace
- Figurative
- Crowded with people coming and going all the time; said of a busy home, shop, or clinic that everyone flocks to.
Where does 门庭若市 come from?
It is recorded in the 《战国策》. Zou Ji, a minister of Qi, asked his wife, his concubine and a guest whether he was more handsome than Lord Xu, famed for his looks, and all three said yes. When he later saw Xu, he realized they had flattered him: his wife favored him, his concubine feared him, and his guest wanted something from him. He told King Wei of Qi as a warning that a king is deceived even more, and the king promised rewards to anyone who pointed out his faults. At first so many came that the palace gate and courtyard looked like a marketplace. Today it describes any crowded place.
Source (出处): 《战国策·齐策一》
How is 门庭若市 used? Two examples
- 新店开张那天打五折，门庭若市，排队排到了街上。
On the day the new shop opened everything was half price, and the place was packed, with a line out into the street.
- 这位老中医很有名，诊所天天门庭若市。
This old doctor of Chinese medicine is well known, and his clinic is crowded every single day.
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