📖 Meaning
Joined garment lapels forming a curtain, describing a scene so densely crowded that people's clothes press together. It conveys the image of a bustling, thronged gathering where the sheer number of people overlaps into a wall of fabric. The idiom is used to depict overwhelmingly crowded places.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from 'Strategies of the Warring States' (战国策), in the chapter on the Qi state, where the diplomatic strategist Su Qin (苏秦) described the capital city Linzi (临淄) to the King of Qi. Su Qin portrayed Linzi as one of the most prosperous and densely populated cities of the Warring States period, saying its streets were so packed that chariot wheels collided, shoulders rubbed, joined lapels formed curtains, and waved sweat formed rain. The vivid imagery was meant to persuade the king of his realm's wealth and power. The phrase has since become a classical way to describe scenes of extreme crowding and prosperity.
💡 Example Usage
春节庙会上游人如织，连衽成帷，热闹非凡。
The Spring Festival temple fair was packed with visitors, their garments pressing together like curtains, buzzing with extraordinary liveliness.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 连衽成帷
- Pinyin: lián rèn chéng wéi
- Literal Translation: joined, lapels, form, curtain
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4