CHENGYU
千家万户(qiān jiā wàn hù)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 孙犁《画的梦》
MEANING
- Literal
- a thousand homes and ten thousand households
- Figurative meaning
- countless families; every household
ORIGIN STORY
The modern writer Sun Li recalled: "The New Year pictures of a thousand homes and ten thousand households taught me so much." The phrase gathers the whole population, house by house.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“in every household”
EXAMPLES
春节时，千家万户张灯结彩。Chūnjié shí, qiān jiā wàn hù zhāng dēng jié cǎi.HSK6
At Spring Festival, every household hangs lanterns and streamers.
这项政策关系到千家万户的利益。Zhè xiàng zhèngcè guānxi dào qiān jiā wàn hù de lìyì.HSK6
This policy touches the interests of countless families.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It means the whole population in their homes — not "everywhere" in a geographic sense.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01