qiān千thousandjūn军armywàn万ten thousandmǎ马horses
A large army; a vast crowd.
Literal meaning
thousand (千) — army (军) — ten thousand (万) — horses (马)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase describing a massive military force.
Examples
Zhàn战chǎng场shàng上，qiān千jūn军wàn万mǎ马qì气shì势páng磅bó礴。
On the battlefield, the vast army had an imposing presence.
Chūn春yùn运qī期jiān间，huǒ火chē车zhàn站rén人shān山rén人hǎi海，jiǎn简zhí直shì是qiān千jūn军wàn万mǎ马。
During the Spring Festival travel season, the train station is packed with people, like a huge army.
Usage & nuances
Can be used figuratively to describe a large and powerful group or force.
Learn idioms by speaking them
Idioms are most useful when they land in a real conversation. Practice them out loud in Kango — get instant feedback on tone and timing.
Download Kango on iOS