What does it mean word for word?
The term consists of 很, which means "very" and 挤, which means "crowded" or "to squeeze".
Which one should you use?
Use 很挤 to emphasize that a lack of physical space makes a situation feel cramped. If you only want to state that there is a large number of people without implying discomfort, use 人多. For extremely crowded places like tourist attractions, you might use the idiom 人山人海, which literally means "people (as many as a) mountain and people (as many as the) sea". If you want to describe a situation where people are tightly packed together in an informal way, use 人挤人, which literally means "people squeezing people". To convey that a place is bursting at the seams or fully packed in a colloquial manner, use 爆满.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective 挤 can be used alone to mean "crowded", but it is common to add the adverb 很 before it to make the sentence sound complete and natural, even if the "very" is not being strongly emphasized.
How do you pronounce it?
hěn jǐ
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the word 挤 can also be used in the context of 'squeezing out' time for a task when one's schedule is too crowded.
- The word 爆满 uses the character for 'explode', implying that the capacity of the venue has not just been reached, but has 'burst' due to the volume of people.
- While English speakers say a room is 'crowded', a Chinese speaker might use the verb 挤 to describe the physical act of 'squeezing' through a crowd, turning the adjective into an action.
Examples in context
- 列车在晚上很挤。The train is very crowded this evening.This sentence is useful for describing how crowded the train is using 很挤.Tatoeba #5907506 by verdastelo9604, translation #243255 by CK
- 地铁里很挤。Dìtiě lǐ hěn jǐ.It is very crowded in the subway.
- 商场里人很多，很挤。Shāngchǎng lǐ rén hěnduō, hěn jǐ.There are many people in the mall, it's very crowded.
Example conversation
Haoran and Jiayi are standing at a busy bus stop.
- 浩然 Haoran等公车的人很多，很挤。Děng gōngchē de rén hěnduō, hěn jǐ.There are many people waiting for the bus, it is very crowded.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是啊，我们挤不上去。Shì a, wǒmen jǐ bù shàngqù.Yes, we can't squeeze onto it.
- 浩然 Haoran佳怡，我们打车去吧。Jiāyí, wǒmen dǎchē qù ba.Jiayi, let's take a taxi instead.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好主意，我也觉得太挤了。Hǎo zhǔyì, wǒ yě juéde tài jǐ le.Good idea, I also feel it is too crowded.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
