人头攒动 (rén tóu cuán dòng) — (idiom) a seething mass of heads; a bustling crowd of people

Definition

An idiom describing a densely packed, bustling crowd — the literal image of many heads pressing and jostling together. Often used in written descriptions of busy public places like squares, stations, or markets.

idiom
a seething mass of headsa bustling crowd of people

Examples

  • ，。
    Jié rì guǎng chǎng shàng rén tóu cuán dòng, rè nao fēi fán.
    On the holiday square, there was a seething crowd of people, extraordinarily lively.
  • 人头攒动，。
    Chē zhàn lǐ rén tóu cuán dòng, dōu zài děng zhe huí jiā de huǒ chē.
    Inside the station, heads were bobbing everywhere; everyone was waiting for the train home.
  • 人头攒动，。
    Zhè tiáo xiǎo chī jiē rén tóu cuán dòng, měi yì jiā diàn mén kǒu dōu pái zhe cháng duì.
    On this snack street, there was a bustling crowd; every shop entrance had a long line.

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 攒 →

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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