门可罗雀
mén kě luó què
so few callers you could net sparrows at the gate; deserted
Character by character
门mén
gate
gate
可kě
can
can
罗luó
net
net
雀què
sparrows
sparrows
Example
商场搬到新区以后，老街上的几家服装店门可罗雀。
Since the shopping centre moved to the new district, the clothes shops on the old street have been deserted.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
From the 史记: when 翟公 (Zhái Gōng) lost office, the callers who had crowded his gate vanished and you could have set a sparrow net outside. Now used of shops, restaurants, sights or a fallen official: 生意冷清，门可罗雀. Its opposite is 门庭若市, a gate as busy as a market.
Learn this in Lesson 138 · HSK 7–9: 老字号 (The time-honoured brands)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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