TongTong
Sign in

络绎不绝 (luò yì bù jué) — (idiom) in a continuous stream; coming and going without end

Definition

Describes people or vehicles arriving or passing in a steady, unbroken stream. Unlike 滔滔不绝 (used for nonstop talking), this idiom is about movement and traffic.

idiom
in a continuous streamcoming and going without end

Examples

  • ，络绎不绝，。
    Miào huì qī jiān, yóu kè luò yì bù jué, fēi cháng rè nao.
    During the temple fair, visitors came in a continuous stream, making it very lively.
  • ，络绎不绝，。
    Zhè tiáo shāng yè jiē shàng, xíng rén luò yì bù jué, cóng zǎo dào wǎn dōu hěn fán máng.
    On this commercial street, pedestrians flow endlessly, busy from morning till night.
  • ，络绎不绝，。
    Guó qìng jié nà tiān, cháng ān jiē shàng chē liàng luò yì bù jué, yì yǎn wàng bú dào tóu.
    On National Day, vehicles on Chang'an Avenue streamed endlessly, stretching as far as the eye could see.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絡; 络 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè絡luò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 絡 pairs 糸 (thread) with 各 as a sound part, showing something wrapped in thread, like a web of thread; the simplified 络 is a later shorthand.

Open 络 →

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 繹; 绎 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
睪
睪yì繹yì
Same sound today

The traditional form 繹 pairs 糸, which shows silk, with 睪 as the sound part; the simplified 绎 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound part.

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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