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人山人海 (rén shān rén hǎi). People mountain people sea.
It’s the most famous example of Chinglish — a direct character-by-character translation that Westerners find hilarious and Chinese English learners find embarrassing.
But here’s the thing: it’s actually a good phrase.
“People mountain people sea” is more vivid than “a sea of people.” It captures the three-dimensional crush — mountains AND seas of humans pressing in. It’s not wrong English. It’s different English.
The reason it hasn’t been adopted like “long time no see” is timing, not quality. 好久不见 entered English in the 1800s when Pidgin was a functional trade language. 人山人海 became an internet meme in the 2000s. One was lived experience. The other was a screenshot.
But I’d argue: give it time. “People mountain people sea” is folk poetry. It’s the kind of phrase English SHOULD steal — descriptive, rhythmic, untranslatable in spirit if not in letter.
**Verdict: Not adopted yet. Should be.**
了解更多：什么是中式英语？
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