TongTong
Sign in

接踵而来 (jiē zhǒng ér lái) — (idiom) to follow one after another; to come in quick succession

Definition

An idiom meaning 'to come one after another in quick succession,' usually of unwelcome things (problems, visitors, bad news). Pairs naturally with 纷至沓来, which is slightly more literary.

idiom
to follow one after anotherto come in quick succession

Examples

  • 接踵而来，。
    Zuì jìn de hǎo xiāo xi jiē zhǒng ér lái, ràng rén fēi cháng kāi xīn.
    Good news has been coming one after another recently, making people very happy.
  • 接踵而来，。
    Wèn tí jiē zhǒng ér lái, wǒ men dé yí gè yí gè jiě jué.
    Problems are coming one after another; we have to solve them one by one.
  • 接踵而来，。
    Yóu kè jiē zhǒng ér lái, jǐng qū hěn kuài jǐ mǎn le rén.
    Tourists came one after another, and the scenic spot quickly became crowded.

Origin

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
妾
妾qiè接jiē
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, matching the sense of receiving something in the hand, while 妾 gives the character its sound.

Open 接 →

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
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng踵zhǒng
Same sound today

The left part 足 shows it is about a foot, and the right part 重 gives the sound.

Open 踵 →

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

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

Open 而 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.