📖 Meaning
Shoulders pressing together and footsteps following one another in close succession. It describes a scene so crowded with people that they are packed shoulder to shoulder and stepping on each other's heels.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom appears in classical Chinese literature to depict densely populated gatherings. The character 驾 conveys the idea of pressing or bearing down, while 武 refers to footsteps or paces. Together the phrase paints a vivid image of a throng so tightly packed that people's shoulders touch and their footsteps follow in rapid sequence. No single definitive origin story is associated with it.
💡 Example Usage
节日期间，广场上驾肩接武，热闹非凡。
During the festival, the square was packed shoulder to shoulder with people, bustling with excitement.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 驾肩接武
- Pinyin: jià jiān jiē wǔ
- Literal Translation: pressing shoulders, following footsteps
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4