Chinese Conversation · Level 73
90 words
Chinese word
一哄而散
Pronunciation
Pinyinyī hòng ér sàn
Meaning
- idiomscatter
Example
表演结束后，观众都一哄而散了。biáo yǎn jié shù hòu guān zhòng dōu yí hòng ér sàn le
After the performance ended, the audience all scattered.
More examples
火警响了，楼道里的人一哄而散。huó jǐng xiǎng le lóu dào lǐ de rén yí hòng ér sàn
When the fire alarm sounded, the people in the hallway scattered all at once.
Core concept
A gathered crowd suddenly bursts apart together, as if one noisy trigger sends everyone in different directions.
Common phrases
孩子们一哄而散hái zi men yí hòng ér sàn
the children all scattered at once
学生一哄而散xué shēng yí hòng ér sàn
the students all scattered at once
Similar words
各奔东西gè bèn dōng xī: Each person leaves separately and heads toward a different place.
四散sì sàn: A group spreads out widely, with people going off in all directions.
Definition in Chinese
形容因惊吓、喧闹或信号等引发的瞬间集体散开，突出突然反应和一起分散的情形，多用于描写观众、路人等短时间的离散。xíng róng yīn jīng xià xuān nào huò xìn hào děng yǐn fā de shùn jiān jí tǐ sàn kāi tū chū tū rán fǎn yìng hé yì qǐ fēn sàn de qíng xíng duō yòng yú miáo xiě guān zhòng lù rén děng duǎn shí jiān de lí sàn
Word origin
一哄而散 (yīhòngérsàn, "scatter in a noisy rush") combines 一 (yī, "one"), 哄 (hòng, "commotion"), 而 (ér, "then"), and 散 (sàn, "disperse") to show a crowd breaking apart all at once.
Usage tips
- In everyday Chinese, this idiom suits a crowd leaving suddenly after a startling event, but not people departing one by one according to a plan.
Other meanings
- split upidiom
Opposites
- 团结一致tuán jié yí zhìstand unitedidiom