遮天蔽日

zhētiānbìrì

idiom #53,070

Meanings

1 to cover the sky and blot out the sun
2 so numerous or massive as to block out the light
3 overwhelming in scale or force

Characters

to cover, to block

to cover, to obscure

Examples

大片乌云遮天蔽日，眼看就要下暴雨了。

Dà piàn wūyún zhētiānbìrì, yǎnkàn jiùyào xià bàoyǔ le.

A vast stretch of dark clouds blotted out the sun — a rainstorm was clearly on the way.

森林里古树参天，枝叶遮天蔽日。

Sēnlín lǐ gǔ shù cāntiān, zhīyè zhētiānbìrì.

In the forest, ancient trees towered upward, their branches blotting out the sky.

敌军铺天盖地，遮天蔽日地压了过来。

Díjūn pūtiāngàidì, zhētiānbìrì de yā le guòlái.

The enemy forces rolled in overwhelmingly, as if blotting out the very sky.

Tips

history

From 《水浒传》 Chapter 83, describing Liao troops advancing 'pitch-black, blotting out the sky and sun, all bearing black-eagle banners.' Used ever since for vast numbers or scale — armies, swarms, dense foliage, clouds.

usage

Very visual — use when the sheer quantity or size of something literally or figuratively blocks the view. Pairs naturally with 铺天盖地 (spread across sky and earth).

Stroke Order

遮 zhē

天 tiān

蔽 bì

日 rì