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The Chinese idiom 门庭若市 (men2 ting2 ruo4 shi4) literally means the entrance and the courtyard are crowded with people like a market bazaar. It comes from 《战国策》 composed by Liu Xiang in the Western Han Dynasty.
The story is about the self conscious Prime Minister Zou Ji in the court of the State of Qi during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The Prime Minister was constantly asking others whether he was as handsome as his good friend Xu Gong, a man who was regarded as good looking. His wife, his concubine and his best friend all told Zou that he was more handsome than Xu Gong. However Zou was not convinced and decided to put Xu Gong's looks under the microscope himself.
He invited Xu Gong to dinner. After looking closely at his friend over dinner, Zou decided that he was not as good looking as Xu Gong. Next morning, Zou related his story to the King Wei of the State of Qi:
Last night I could not sleep. I was completely stumped why my wife, concubine and best friend all lied to me. But, after much puzzling I have come to the conclusion that my wife flatters me, my concubine fears me and my friend wants to ask me a favour.
And then he went further and said directly to King Wei:
From this I realize that Your Highness as king of a large state like Qi must constantly face the problem of being deceived by sweet words, for there is no one who does not flatter you, fear you or seek your favour.
The king agreed. He decided to address the problem by issuing a decree that offered awards to those brave enough to criticize him and his court. In the first few days, the court was as crowded as a marker bazaar. However, as the king began to revise his policies to address the criticism, the crowds thinned out and eventually almost no one came to complain. The State of Qi became stronger with each passing day and neighbouring states sent their envoys to pay tribute.
Originally, this Chinese idiom was used to illustrate the merits of conquest by peaceful means, but today it is more often used to describe a place that is crowded with visitors seeking an audience with someone important (e.g. a public official). Also, the idiom is sometimes used to describe a shop that has alot of customers.