鳞次栉比

鱗次櫛比
líncì-zhìbǐ
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 row upon row (like fish scales or comb teeth)
  2. 2 packed closely in rows
  3. 3 tightly arranged side by side

Examples

HSK 2
Shìzhōngxīn de gāolóu líncì-zhìbǐ.
High-rises are packed row upon row in the city center.
HSK 6
Jiēdào liǎngpáng de diànpù líncì-zhìbǐ, shífēn rènao.
Shops line both sides of the street in tight rows - very bustling.

Tips

history
Roots in 《诗经·周颂·良耜》: 其比如栉 - "arranged as close as comb teeth". The four-character form appears in 鲍照's Southern-dynasty 《咏史》 poem: 京城十二衢,飞甍各鳞次.
memory
(fish scales) + (comb teeth) - two things famous for being packed in tight parallel rows. Buildings, shops, or houses "like scales and teeth": dense, aligned, unbroken.

Stroke Order

lín
zhì