柳陌花衢

liǔmò-huāqú
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 brothel quarter
  2. 2 red-light district

Examples

HSK 7-9
Gǔdài wénrén bǐxià cháng chūxiàn liǔmò-huāqú de miáoxiě.
Descriptions of brothel quarters often appear in classical literature.
HSK 7-9
Tā liúlián yú liǔmò-huāqú, huīhuò jiācái.
He lingered in the pleasure quarters and squandered the family fortune.

Tips

history
From Song dynasty 孟元老's preface to 《东京梦华录》: 新声巧笑于柳陌花衢 - clever singing and laughter on willow lanes and flower streets, referring to the entertainment districts of the old capital.
register
Highly literary euphemism. 'willow' and 'flower' have long been associated with courtesans in Chinese poetry; and both mean 'street'.

Stroke Order

liǔ
huā