南来北往
nán lái běi wǎng
coming and going from every direction; travellers passing through
Character by character
南nán
south
south
来lái
come
come
北běi
north
north
往wǎng
go
go
Example
这家小饭馆开在火车站旁边，每天接待南来北往的客人。
This little restaurant by the station serves travellers from all over the country every day.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Of people, traffic or birds passing through a place: 南来北往的旅客, 南来北往的候鸟. Close to 川流不息, but it stresses where people come from and go to rather than how many there are.
Learn this in Lesson 168 · HSK 7–9: 鄱阳湖的候鸟 (The winter birds of Poyang Lake)
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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