densely packed like fish scales; row upon row
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
arranged like fish scales and comb teeth; packed closely together in dense rows (esp. of buildings)
literaryOriginally from classical Chinese texts describing orderly, dense arrangements. Commonly used to describe urban architecture. Variant form: 栉比鳞次.
Lù路
páng旁
gè各
zhǒng种
jiàn建
zhù筑
lín鳞
cì次
zhì栉
bǐ比
。
Various buildings stood packed closely together along the road.
Shàng上
hǎi海
de的
gāo高
lóu楼
dà大
shà厦
lín鳞
cì次
zhì栉
bǐ比
，
zhǎn展
xiàn现
chū出
xiàn现
dài代
dū都
shì市
de的
fán繁
huá华
。
Shanghai's skyscrapers stand row upon row, displaying the prosperity of a modern metropolis.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Gǔ古
zhèn镇
de的
mín民
jū居
lín鳞
cì次
zhì栉
bǐ比
，
yán沿
hé河
de的
qīng青
shí石
bǎn板
lù路
wān蜿
yán蜒
qū曲
zhé折
。
The ancient town's residences were packed closely together, with bluestone paths winding along the river.