Meaning of the Idiom
men ke luo que（desolate）
Duke Jai was a Han dynasty government official.
Because he held a very high-ranking and powerful position, many of his friends, relatives, and even acquaintances whom he barely knew often went to call on him. So all day long, horses and chariots were lined up in front of his house; it was really as if “the courtyard was as crowded as a marketplace.”
Later, however, Duke Jai had the sad misfortune of being removed from office.
His friends and relatives then stopped going to see him, and soon the only ones left in front of his house were flock of sparrows which would fly about and stop to rest on his doorstep.
Not long afterwards, Duke Jai was reinstated. As soon as his friends and relatives heard the news, they all once again began to ride their horses or drive their chariots back to visit him.
Duke Jai, however, was now unwilling to see them, and door reproving those who would only associate with people of wealth and status.
Today, we can use this idiom to describe any place which has been deserted, or where people are few.
门可罗雀
mén kě luó què，“门可罗雀”原指门外可张网捕雀（罗：张网捕捉），后形容门庭冷落、宾客稀少之况。
出自《史记·汲郑列传》。
例句
这家店铺的生意冷清、门可罗雀。
当年他富贵时，朋友进进出出很热闹，后来贫穷了就到了门可罗雀的地步。
自从疫情爆发以来，所有的大型商场都变得门可罗雀。
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