📖 Meaning
When too many people are handling things, hands are busy and disorganized. It refers to situations where a crowded, chaotic environment makes it easy for items to be lost, damaged, or misplaced due to the sheer number of people involved.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel "Dream of the Red Chamber" (红楼梦) by Cao Xueqin, specifically Chapter 37. In the story, a character remarks that while the Old Lady's quarters are manageable, the Lady's quarters suffer from having too many people with mixed hands, making it easy for things to be deliberately damaged or stolen. The phrase vividly captures how crowding and disorder breed carelessness and even malice in a household.
💡 Example Usage
仓库里人多手杂，贵重物品还是锁起来比较安全。
With so many people coming and going in the warehouse, it's safer to lock up the valuables.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 人多手杂
- Pinyin: rén duō shǒu zá
- Literal Translation: people, many, hands, mixed
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4