接踵而来

接踵而來

jiēzhǒng'érlái

idiom #26,126

Meanings

1 to come one after another
2 to follow in quick succession
3 to arrive in a continuous stream

Characters

to connect; to receive; to follow

heel; to follow closely

and then; while; but (connecting clause)

to come; to arrive

Examples

节日期间，好消息接踵而来。

Jiérì qījiān, hǎo xiāoxi jiēzhǒng'érlái.

During the holiday, good news kept coming one after another.

麻烦接踵而来，让他应接不暇。

Máfan jiēzhǒng'érlái, ràng tā yìngjiē-bùxiá.

Troubles came in quick succession, leaving him unable to cope.

自从他出名后，邀请函接踵而来。

Zìcóng tā chūmíng hòu, yāoqǐnghán jiēzhǒng'érlái.

Since he became famous, invitations have been arriving one after another.

Tips

memory

踵 means heel. 接踵 literally means heel-to-heel (one person's heel touching the next person's toes), vividly describing a crowd so dense that arrivals are back-to-back.

usage

接踵而来 is used for things that arrive in rapid succession - events, problems, guests, news. It carries a sense of an overwhelming or relentless flow.

Stroke Order

接 jiē

踵 zhǒng

而 ér

来 lái