Chinese word

成群结队

Pronunciation

Pinyinchéng qún jié duì

Meaning

  • idiomin groups

Example

他们成群结队去超市。tā men chéng qún jié duì qù chāo shì

They go to the supermarket in groups.

Illustration for 成群结队 (in groups)

More examples

春季，候鸟成群结队南下过冬。chūn jì hòu niǎo chéng qún jié duì nán xià guò dōng

In spring, migratory birds fly south in groups to spend the winter.

Core concept

A large crowd moves or acts as one organized body.

Common phrases

  • 成群结队迁徙chéng qún jié duì qiān xǐ

    migrate in groups

  • 成群结队出门chéng qún jié duì chū mén

    go out in groups

Similar words

蜂拥而至fēng yōng ér zhì: A large crowd rushes in and arrives or gathers all at once.
络绎不绝luò yì bù jué: People or vehicles keep coming one after another without stopping.
人山人海rén shān rén hǎi: A place is packed with so many people that they seem like mountains and a sea.
摩肩接踵mó jiān jiē zhǒng: People are packed so tightly that their shoulders and heels touch.

Definition in Chinese

大量的人或动物聚在一起，组成群体或队列并一起移动或行动。dà liàng de rén huò dòng wù jù zài yì qǐ zǔ chéng qún tǐ huò duì liè bìng yì qǐ yí dòng huò xíng dòng

Word origin

成 (chéng, "form") + 群 (qún, "group") and 结 (jié, "join") + 队 (duì, "formation") create two parallel images of gathering and moving as one.

Usage tips

  • In conversational descriptions, this idiom makes a crowd visually noticeable, so it fits people or animals arriving, leaving, or moving together rather than a small number acting side by side.

Other meanings

  • in large numbersidiom
  • in processionidiom

Opposites

  • 零零散散líng líng sán sǎnin a scattered manneridiom

Word lists with this word