鱼贯而入
yú guàn ér rù
to file in one after another
Character by character
鱼yú
fish
fish
贯guàn
in a string
in a string
而ér
and
and
入rù
enter
enter
Example
九点一到，大门打开，观众鱼贯而入。
On the stroke of nine the doors opened and the audience filed in.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Like fish swimming in a line: people entering in an orderly queue, one by one. The opposite direction is 鱼贯而出. For a crowd rushing in all at once, use 蜂拥而入 or 一拥而入 instead.
Learn this in Lesson 203 · HSK 7–9: 利比亚撤侨 (The evacuation from Libya)
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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