袂云汗雨 — “Describes a bustling and populous scene”

袂云汗雨 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a bustling and populous scene”. Where a crowd is so numerous that their raised sleeves resemble clouds, and their sweat falls like rain. Literally, “Sleeves like clouds, sweat like rain”.

Frequency

袂云汗雨 Pronunciation and Pinyin

袂云汗雨 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
袂	mèi	9	sleeve of clothing
云	yún	4	cloud, say, or Yunnan
汗	hàn	6	sweat
雨	yǔ	8	water falling from clouds

Example Sentence with 袂云汗雨

在春节庙会期间，集市上总是袂云汗雨，人山人海

During the Spring Festival temple fair, the market is always bustling with people, a vast sea of humanity.

Origin and Story of 袂云汗雨

During the Warring States period, Su Qin, a renowned persuader, traveled to the State of Qi to convince King Xuan to form an alliance against the powerful State of Qin.

He eloquently argued, "Linzi, your capital, boasts 70,000 households. If each family contributes three men to the army, that's a formidable force. Your region is wealthy, and your streets are so densely packed with people that their raised sleeves look like a dense cloud cover, and their sweat drips like rain. With such overwhelming strength, how could you possibly consider surrendering to the State of Qin?"

This vivid description of a crowded and prosperous populace led to the idiom '袂云汗雨'.