The Courtyard Is As Crowded As a Market Place

During the Warring States Period, there was a very handsome government official name Tzou Ji who lived in the kingdom of Ch'i. One day, he said to his wife, "Everyone says that Mr. Shu, from the Northern City, is very handsome. Who is better - looking, he or me?" His wife answered, "Of course you are." Tzou Ji posed the same question to his maidservant, and then to a guest who came to his house. Both the maidservant and the guest answered that he was the better - looking of the two.

Sometime later, Tzou Ji saw Mr. Shu in person, and discovered that Mr. Shu was indeed more handsome than himself. Tzou Ji then realized that his wife, his maidservant, and his guest had all lied to him - his wife because she loved him, his maidservant because she was afraid of him, and his guest because he needed his help. When he went into court, he reported his findings to the king, and suggested that he think of a way to get people to tell the truth. The king agreed, and immediately issued a proclamation stating that anyone who could point out his faults would be rewarded. As expected, everyone came to offer an opinion, and from morning till night, the courtyard was as crowed as a marketplace.

Today, this is used to describe any crowed, busy place or circumstances.

門庭若市

戰國時，齊國的相國鄒忌為了勸齊威王要虛心接受臣子們的規勸，於是對齊威王說：「我們齊國地方這麼大，皇宮上上下下，有誰敢對大王無禮？右手誰敢忤逆大王？滿朝的文武將官，又有誰不怕您？全國百姓，有誰不希望得到您的關懷？看來恭維您的人一定很多，這樣可不好，您一定會被蒙蔽得很嚴重！」齊威王聽了，覺得很有道理，馬上下令給全國官員百姓，獎勵正直而敢規勸他的人，於是進宮提意見的人很多，熱鬧得像市集一樣。