# 门庭若市

mén tíng ruò shì

Receive a great many visitors

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** The doorway and courtyard resemble a market

**Traditional Chinese:** 門庭若市

**Register:** Descriptive · literary

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Describe a busy business or popular household.

Emphasizes arrivals, not any noisy scene.

## Understanding the expression

A marketplace is full of people arriving, leaving, and exchanging things. Comparing a doorway and courtyard to it suggests that visitors come continuously. Modern speakers apply the phrase to shops, clinics, offices, or homes attracting many people. It often conveys popularity or success, though crowding may also be inconvenient. The focus is on the stream of visitors reaching a place, rather than on the number of residents already inside.

## Examples

节日里，花店门庭若市。

### Traditional Chinese

節日裡，花店門庭若市。

jié rì lǐ ， huā diàn mén tíng ruò shì 。

The flower shop is crowded with customers during the festival.

这家诊所每天门庭若市。

### Traditional Chinese

這家診所每天門庭若市。

zhè jiā zhěn suǒ měi tiān mén tíng ruò shì 。

This clinic receives many patients every day.

获奖后，他的工作室门庭若市。

### Traditional Chinese

獲獎後，他的工作室門庭若市。

huò jiǎng hòu ， tā de gōng zuò shì mén tíng ruò shì 。

His studio attracted many visitors after the award.

新餐厅开业便门庭若市。

### Traditional Chinese

新餐廳開業便門庭若市。

xīn cān tīng kāi yè biàn mén tíng ruò shì 。

The new restaurant was busy from its opening.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%96%80%E5%BA%AD%E8%8B%A5%E5%B8%82)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=127&webMd=1&la=0)

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