人多势众

人多勢眾

rénduō-shìzhòng

idiom #40,138

Meanings

1 numerous and powerful
2 strength in numbers
3 many people make a strong force

Characters

force / influence

Examples

HSK 3

人多势众不一定能赢。

Rénduō-shìzhòng bùyīdìng néng yíng.

Numbers don't guarantee victory.

HSK 6

他们仗着人多势众，欺负一个老人。

Tāmen zhàng zhe rénduō-shìzhòng, qīfù yīgè lǎorén.

Relying on their numbers, they bullied an old man.

HSK 7-9

对方人多势众，我们先撤退。

Duìfāng rénduō-shìzhòng, wǒmen xiān chètuì.

The other side has strength in numbers - let's retreat first.

Tips

history

Attested in 《红楼梦》 chapter 10: Jin Rong, 'cornered by superior numbers' (困人多势众), is forced to apologize. Often used to describe bullying or mob dynamics.

usage

Sometimes followed by 仗着 ('relying on') to describe abuse of majority power.

Stroke Order

人 rén

多 duō

势 shì

众 zhòng