成群结队

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: chéng qún jié duì
• English Translation: In large groups (in droves)
• Idiom Composition: 「成」（To form or become）＋「群」（A group, crowd, or flock）＋「结」（To tie, form, or join together）＋「队」（A team, rank, or line）
• Meaning: Describes a large number of people or animals gathering together to form groups or ranks. It implies moving or acting as a collective unit rather than as individuals.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「成群结队」 contains the following nuances:

• Emphasis on Collective Action: The idiom emphasizes that the subjects are not scattered individuals, but are moving as a cohesive flow or mass. As the characters 群 (qún) and 队 (duì) suggest, it implies a certain level of organization or collective direction rather than chaotic crowding.
• Broad Application: This phrase is versatile and applies to humans as well as various animals, including birds, fish, and insects.

3. Usage

「成群结队」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Movement of People: Commonly used to describe tourists, students, or spectators moving in large numbers. It is used in both daily conversation and news reporting.
  • Example:「放学后，学生们成群结队地走出校门。」
    （After school, the students walked out of the school gate in large groups.）
• Animal Behavior: Used to explain the habits of migratory birds, schools of fish, or insects acting as a collective.
  • Example:「秋天到了，大雁成群结队地向南飞去。」
    （In autumn, the wild geese fly south in flocks.）
• Negative Groups: Can be used critically to describe gangs or troublesome groups 'ganging up' to cause a disturbance.
  • Example:「那些流氓总是成群结队地在街上惹事生非。」
    （Those hoodlums are always ganging up and causing trouble in the streets.）

Additional Examples:

1. 每到假期，游客们便成群结队地涌向海边。
   （Every holiday, tourists pour toward the seaside in droves.）
2. 蚂蚁成群结队地搬运食物，准备过冬。
   （Ants are carrying food in long lines to prepare for the winter.）
3. 不要总是成群结队地聊天，快去工作！
   （Don't just spend all your time huddling together and chatting; get back to work!）
4. 草原上，牛羊成群结队，景色十分壮观。
   （On the grasslands, cattle and sheep gather in great numbers, making for a spectacular sight.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• The phrase appears in historical records such as the *Five Dynasties History Plain Talk* (五代史平话) from the Song Dynasty (宋朝). It originally described sparrows gathering to steal grain, but its usage has since expanded to humans and other animals.
• While Chinese culture often values the strength of numbers, as seen in the concept of 团结 (tuán jié) or 'unity,' this idiom can sometimes imply a lack of individual purpose or a 'mob' mentality depending on the speaker's tone.
• Compared to the similar idiom 三五成群 (sān wǔ chéng qún), which describes small scattered groups of 'threes and fives,' 成群结队 (chéng qún jié duì) suggests a much larger and more continuous scale of movement.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 三五成群 (sān wǔ chéng qún): Small groups of people scattered here and there.link
  • 成群结伙 (chéng qún jié huǒ): To form a gang or group; often used with a more negative connotation of 'associating with the wrong crowd.'
  • 人山人海 (rén shān rén hǎi): A vast crowd of people.link
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 形单影只 (xíng dān yǐng zhī): A single body and a single shadow; describing someone who is extremely lonely and has no one to rely on.
  • 孑然一身 (jié rán yī shēn): To be all alone in the world without any kin or companions.
  • 离群索居 (lí qún suǒ jū): To live in solitude, away from the crowd.link
  • 寥寥无几 (liáo liáo wú jǐ): Very few in number.link

6. Summary

成群结队 (chéng qún jié duì) is used to describe people or animals moving 'in droves' or 'in large groups.' Whether it is tourists flocking to a beach or birds migrating, it emphasizes the collective nature of the movement. While often neutral, it can sometimes carry a nuance of 'ganging up' or being 'crowded' depending on the context.