📖 Meaning
Describes a scene of extreme confusion and disorder, like crows flying and sparrows scattering in all directions. It is used to depict a situation where people are rushing about in chaos, often out of panic or alarm.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Qing dynasty work 'Kaiguo Qi Yuan' (Strange Injustices of the Founding Dynasty) by Hua Weisheng, specifically in the preface section 'Yue Xu'. The author satirically recounts how, at a school, all the supervisors, instructors, and advanced science students fled completely, leaving only the ordinary students behind in a scene as chaotic as crows flying and sparrows scattering.
💡 Example Usage
消息一出，整个公司顿时鸦飞雀乱，人人自危。
Once the news broke, the entire company fell into utter chaos, with everyone fearing for their own safety.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鸦飞雀乱
- Pinyin: yā fēi què luàn
- Literal Translation: crow, fly, sparrow, chaotic
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4