如云 (rú yún) — (of people or things) numerous, in large numbers, like clouds

Definition

Literary phrase meaning 'as numerous as clouds' — used for crowds, talents, or beauties gathered in great numbers. Only fits descriptive, written contexts, not everyday speech.

verb
(of people or things) numerousin large numberslike clouds

Examples

  • ，如云，。
    Zhè cì zhāo pìn huì shàng, rén cái rú yún, jìng zhēng fēi cháng jī liè.
    At this job fair, there was a galaxy of talent, and the competition was very fierce.
  • 如云，。
    Guǎng chǎng shàng rén qún rú yún, dà jiā dōu zài děng dài yǎn chū kāi shǐ.
    The crowd on the square was as dense as clouds, everyone waiting for the performance to begin.
  • 如云，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī gāo shǒu rú yún, xiǎng jiā rù bìng bù róng yì.
    This company is full of experts; it's not easy to get in.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

如rúresemble
云yúncloud

Resembling clouds, 如 and 云, conveys large numbers.

Characters in this word

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雲; 云 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 雲 is 雨 (rain) plus 云; 云 was the original writing for 'cloud', and 雨 was added to separate it from the borrowed sense 'to say'.

Open 云 →

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