Chinese word

川流不息

Pronunciation

Pinyinchuān liú bù xī

Meaning

  • idiomflow continuously

Example

晚高峰地铁站外排队的人川流不息。wǎn gāo fēng dì tiě zhàn wài pái duì de rén chuān liú bù xī

During evening rush hour, people form an endless line outside the subway station.

Illustration for 川流不息 (flow continuously)

More examples

夜晚城市街道上来往车辆川流不息。yè wǎn chéng shì jiē dào shàng lái wǎng chē liàng chuān liú bù xī

At night, traffic flows continuously along the city streets.

Core concept

A river moves past without a gap, making an unbroken stream the central image for successive people, vehicles, sounds, or events.

Common phrases

  • 车流川流不息chē liú chuān liú bù xī

    continuous traffic flow

  • 人群川流不息rén qún chuān liú bù xī

    endless stream of people

  • 来往车辆川流不息lái wǎng chē liàng chuān liú bù xī

    constant flow of vehicles

Similar words

络绎不绝luò yì bù jué: Describes a constant succession of people or vehicles coming and going.
车水马龙chē shuí mǎ lóng: Describes nonstop traffic on a street, with people and vehicles moving everywhere.
源源不断yuán yuán bú duàn: Describes people or things appearing continuously, with no interruption.
纷至沓来fēn zhì tà lái: Describes crowds or things pouring in one after another.

Definition in Chinese

形容人或物像河水一样连续不断地流动，没有间断。常用来描述人流、车流、声音或事情接连发生的状态。xíng róng rén huò wù xiàng hé shuǐ yí yàng lián xù bú duàn dì liú dòng méi yǒu jiàn duàn cháng yòng lái miáo shù rén liú chē liú shēng yīn huò shì qíng jiē lián fā shēng de zhuàng tài

Word origin

川 (chuān, "river") + 流 (liú, "flow") + 不 (bù, "not") + 息 (xī, "stop") combine into the image of a river that never stops, which extends naturally to any unbroken succession.

Usage tips

  • In conversational Chinese, this four-character idiom is vivid and slightly formal, so it fits descriptions and storytelling better than the plainest everyday exchange.

Opposites

Word lists with this word