人声鼎沸 (rén shēng dǐng fèi) — a hubbub of voices; noisy and bustling with people talking

Definition

A chengyu describing a place full of loud, excited voices — literally 'human voices like a boiling cauldron'. Used for crowded, bustling scenes (markets, squares).

idiom
a hubbub of voicesnoisy and bustling with people talking

Examples

  • ，。
    Guǎng chǎng shàng rén shēng dǐng fèi, rè nao jí le.
    The square was a hubbub of voices, extremely lively.
  • ，。
    Kǎo chǎng wài rén shēng dǐng fèi, hěn duō jiā zhǎng zài děng hái zi.
    Outside the exam hall it was noisy with chatter as many parents waited for their children.
  • 人声鼎沸。
    Cài shì chǎng cóng zǎo dào wǎn dōu rén shēng dǐng fèi de.
    The farmers' market is bustling with voices from morning till night.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
殸
殸qìng聲shēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Open 声 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 鼎 is a picture of an ancient bronze tripod cauldron, a vessel with three legs used for cooking or ritual.

Open 鼎 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
弗
弗fú沸fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

沸 pairs 氵, the water part, with 弗, which gives it its sound.

Open 沸 →

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