rén人peopleshān山mountainrén人peoplehǎi海sea
A sea of people; a huge crowd.
Literal meaning
people (人) — mountain (山) — people (人) — sea (海)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase used to describe a very large crowd of people.
Examples
Chūn春jié节de的shí时hou候，huǒ火chē车zhàn站rén人shān山rén人hǎi海。
During the Spring Festival, the train station is packed with people.
Yǎn演chàng唱huì会xiàn现chǎng场rén人shān山rén人hǎi海，fēi非cháng常rèn热ào闹。
The concert venue was packed with people and very lively.
Usage & nuances
Describes a large and often overwhelming crowd.
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