万人空巷
wàn rén kōng xiàng
the whole town turns out (to celebrate, welcome or watch something)
Character by character
万wàn
ten thousand
ten thousand
人rén
people
people
空kōng
empty
empty
巷xiàng
lanes
lanes
Example
冠军队凯旋那天，全城万人空巷，人们涌上街头迎接自己的英雄。
The day the champions came home, the whole city turned out, pouring into the streets to greet its heroes.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Everyone leaves the lanes (巷) where they live to join the crowds, so the lanes stand empty. It describes parades, welcomes and celebrations. Using it for streets left deserted because everyone is indoors watching TV is a well-known mistake that editors correct, though you will meet it in the press.
Learn this in Lesson 232 · HSK 9+: 超级女声 (Super Girl: the show that taught China to vote)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
Open the lesson →