水泄不通 shuǐ xiè bù tōng watertight

Explanation

形容人群或车辆拥挤，如同连水都无法流过一样，非常拥挤，无法通行。

Describes a situation where there are so many people or vehicles that it is impossible to move, as if even water could not flow through.

Origin Story

古代有个叫王富贵的人，他家住在一个偏远的小村庄。村庄虽小，却有着悠久的历史和丰富的文化。每逢节日，村民们都会在村口举行盛大的集市，吸引周围村庄的人们前来交易。 有一天，王富贵要去城里购买一些生活必需品。他早早地出发，赶往城里。到达城门的时候，他发现城门口人山人海，拥挤不堪。他费了九牛二虎之力才挤进城里，可是刚进城就发现城里的人流更多，街道上人头攒动，水泄不通。 王富贵本想先去买些吃的，但人流太多，根本无法挤过去。他只好放弃了购买食品的想法，转而去购买了一些其他生活必需品。 购买完东西，王富贵准备回家。可是刚走出城门，他就发现城门已经被封锁了。原来，城里发生了一起盗窃案，官府派人封锁了城门，在城里挨家挨户搜查。 王富贵被困在城外，眼看着天色渐晚，他心急如焚。他焦急地等待着官府解除封锁，但是一直等到深夜，城门仍然紧闭着。 王富贵无奈，只好在城门外找了个地方，准备过夜。他躺在草地上，望着满天繁星，心中充满着苦恼。他不知道自己什么时候才能回家。 第二天早上，城门终于解封了。王富贵高兴地回家去了。路上，他回忆起昨晚的经历，心中感慨万千。他深深地体会到，人流太多，会造成很多不便。

gǔ dài yǒu gè jiào wáng fù guì de rén, tā jiā zhù zài yī gè piān yuǎn de xiǎo cūn zhuāng. cūn zhuāng suī xiǎo, què yǒu zhe yōu jiǔ de lì shǐ hé fēng fù de wén huà. měi féng jié rì, cūn mín men dōu huì zài cūn kǒu jǔ xíng shèng dà de jí shì, xī yǐn zhōu wéi cūn zhuāng de rén men lái qián jiāo yì. yǒu yī tiān, wáng fù guì yào qù chéng lǐ gòu mǎi yī xiē shēng huó bì xū pǐn. tā zǎo zǎo de chū fā, gǎn wǎng chéng lǐ. dào dá chéng mén de shí hòu, tā fā xiàn chéng mén kǒu rén shān rén hǎi, yōng jǐ bù kān. tā fèi le jiǔ niú èr hǔ de lì lì cái jǐ jìn chéng lǐ, kě shì gāng jìn chéng jiù fā xiàn chéng lǐ de rén liú gèng duō, jiē dào shàng rén tóu zǎn dòng, shuǐ xiè bù tōng. wáng fù guì běn xiǎng xiān qù mǎi xiē chī de, dàn rén liú tài duō, gēn běn wú fǎ jǐ guò qù. tā zhǐ hǎo fàng qì le gòu mǎi shí pǐn de xiǎng fǎ, zhuǎn qù gòu mǎi le yī xiē qí tā shēng huó bì xū pǐn. gòu mǎi wán dōng xī, wáng fù guì zhǔn bèi huí jiā. kě shì gāng zǒu chū chéng mén, tā jiù fā xiàn chéng mén yǐ jīng bèi fēng suǒ le. yuán lái, chéng lǐ fā shēng le yī cì dào qiè àn, guān fǔ pài rén fēng suǒ le chéng mén, zài chéng lǐ āi jiā āi hù sōu chá. wáng fù guì bèi kùn zài chéng wài, yǎn kàn zhe tiān sè jiàn wǎn, tā xīn jí rú fén. tā jiāo jí de děng dài zhe guān fǔ jiě chú fēng suǒ, dàn shì yī zhí děng dài zhì shēn yè, chéng mén réngrán jǐn bì zhe. wáng fù guì wú nài, zhǐ hǎo zài chéng mén wài zhǎo le gè dì fāng, zhǔn bèi guò yè. tā tǎng zài cǎo dì shàng, wàng zhe mǎn tiān fán xīng, xīn zhōng chōng mǎn zhe kǔ não. tā bù zhī dào zì jǐ shén me shí hòu cái néng huí jiā. dì èr tiān zǎo shàng, chéng mén zhōng yú jiě fēng le. wáng fù guì gāo xìng de huí jiā qù le. lù shàng, tā huí yì qǐ zuó wǎn de jīng lì, xīn zhōng gǎn kǎi wàn qiān. tā shēn shēn de tǐ huì dào, rén liú tài duō, huì zào chéng hěn duō bù biàn.

Once upon a time, there was a man named Wang Fu-gui who lived in a remote village. The village was small but had a long history and rich culture. Every festive season, villagers would hold a grand market at the entrance of the village, attracting people from surrounding villages to come for trade. One day, Wang Fu-gui went to the city to buy some necessities. He set off early and headed for the city. When he reached the city gate, he found that the gate was packed with people, it was incredibly crowded. It took him a lot of effort to squeeze into the city. However, as soon as he entered the city, he found that the crowd was even bigger. The streets were filled with people, there was no room to breathe. Wang Fu-gui wanted to buy some food first, but the crowd was too big, it was impossible to squeeze through. He had to give up the idea of buying food and went to buy some other necessities. After buying his things, Wang Fu-gui was ready to go home. But as soon as he left the city gate, he found that the gate was closed. It turned out that there had been a theft in the city, and the authorities had closed the city gate and were searching every house in the city. Wang Fu-gui was trapped outside the city. As the night fell, he was very worried. He anxiously waited for the authorities to lift the blockade, but even until late at night, the gate remained closed. Wang Fu-gui had no choice but to find a place outside the city gate and prepare to spend the night. He lay down on the grass, looked at the stars, and his heart was filled with worry. He didn’t know when he could go home. The next morning, the city gate finally opened. Wang Fu-gui happily went home. Along the way, he recalled his experience the night before, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He deeply realized that too many people could cause a lot of inconvenience.

Usage

这个成语主要用来形容人多拥挤，道路或场所被挤得连水都流不出去的状态。

zhè ge chéng yǔ zhǔ yào yòng lái xíng róng rén duō yōng jǐ, dào lù huò chǎng suǒ bèi jǐ de lián shuǐ dōu liú bù chū qù de zhuàng tài.

This idiom is mainly used to describe how crowded a place is, where people or vehicles are so packed that even water cannot flow through.

Examples

• 今天街上人流如潮，真是水泄不通。

  jīn tiān jiē shàng rén liú rú cháo, zhēn shì shuǐ xiè bù tōng.

  The street was full of people today, it was a real jam.

• 比赛结束后，选手们被球迷围得水泄不通。

  bǐ sài jié shù hòu, xuǎn shǒu men bèi qiu mí wéi de shuǐ xiè bù tōng.

  After the game, the players were surrounded by fans, it was a real jam.

• 交通事故发生后，现场被围得水泄不通，救援人员难以通行。

  jiāo tōng shì gù fā shēng hòu, xiàn chǎng bèi wéi de shuǐ xiè bù tōng, jiù yuán rén yuán nán tōng xíng.

  After the traffic accident, the scene was surrounded by a crowd, rescuers could not pass.

• 这条小路狭窄，车一多就水泄不通。

  zhè tiáo xiǎo lù xiá zhǎi, chē yī duō jiù shuǐ xiè bù tōng.

  This small path is narrow, if many cars come, it is a real jam.

• 由于人流量太大，商场门口已经水泄不通了。

  yóu yú rén liú liàng tài dà, shāng chǎng mén kǒu yǐ jīng shuǐ xiè bù tōng le.

  Due to the large volume of people, the entrance to the shopping mall is already full of people.

Related Idioms

• 摩肩接踵

• 人山人海

Opposite Idioms

• 畅通无阻

• 门可罗雀