sea of people; crowd; society
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
a sea of people; a vast crowd; a huge throng
Commonly used in the idiom 人山人海 (rén shān rén hǎi). Often implies a crowd so large it seems endless like an ocean.
The square was a sea of people, packed so tight that not a drop of water could trickle through.
Every Golden Week, the scenic area turns into a vast sea of people.
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He lost his direction in the vast crowd.
noun
society; the human world; the masses
literaryLiterary or poetic usage. Often appears in set phrases like 人海沧桑 (the vicissitudes of life/society) or 茫茫人海 (the vast sea of humanity).
In the vast sea of humanity, finding him would truly be like fishing for a needle in the ocean.
Having experienced the vicissitudes of the world for many years, he was no longer the youth he once was.
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Only by throwing oneself into society does one realize how hard the world is.