大街小巷dà jiē xiǎo xiànggreat streets and small alleys (idiom); everywhere in the city

1. 1.

   great streets and small alleys (idiom); everywhere in the cityidiom

Figurative meaning

Everywhere in the city.

Literal meaning

Great streets and small alleys.

• 大big; large; great
• 街street
• 小small
• 巷alley

No attested origin story

大街小巷 can follow 在 or come before 都, as in 大街小巷都很热闹, to describe a whole town.

1. HSK 3

   过年的时候，大街小巷都很热闹。

   Guònián de shíhou, dà jiē xiǎo xiàng dōu hěn rènao.

   At New Year, the whole city is lively.

2. HSK 2

   这首歌在大街小巷都能听到。

   Zhè shǒu gē zài dà jiē xiǎo xiàng dōu néng tīngdào.

   You can hear this song everywhere in the city.

3. HSK 4

   我们走遍了大街小巷，找到了这家小饭馆。

   Wǒmen zǒubiàn le dà jiē xiǎo xiàng, zhǎodào le zhè jiā xiǎo fànguǎn.

   We walked all over the city and found this little restaurant.

1. 
   Speaker A:

   你去过这个城市吗？

   Nǐ qùguo zhège chéngshì ma?

   Have you been to this city?

2. 
   Speaker B:

   去过，我走遍了大街小巷。

   Qùguo, wǒ zǒubiàn le dà jiē xiǎo xiàng.

   Yes, I walked all over the city.

3. 
   Speaker A:

   哪里最好玩儿？

   Nǎli zuì hǎowánr?

   Where was the most fun?

4. 
   Speaker B:

   老城区，有很多小吃。

   Lǎo chéngqū, yǒu hěn duō xiǎochī.

   The old town, there are lots of snacks.

1. 1.What does 大街小巷 mean?

   AEverywhere in the cityBCountlessCTo persevere
2. 2.Which sentence uses 大街小巷 correctly?

   A这首歌在大街小巷都能听到。B他大街小巷地学习。C我很大街小巷。
3. 3.Which word fits best? 过年的时候，____都很热闹。 (At New Year, the whole city is lively.)

   A大街小巷B持之以恒C成千上万

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Related idioms

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• 大势所趋dà shì suǒ qū(idiom) the prevailing trend; the trend of the times; an inevitable directionNot on the HSK 3.0 syllabus
• 一举两得yì jǔ liǎng détwo birds with one stoneHSK 7–9
• 一如既往yì rú jì wǎng(idiom) just as in the past; as before; continuing as alwaysHSK 7–9
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