📖 Meaning
Describes sweating profusely, as if rain were falling. Originally depicted the sweltering heat and teeming population of an ancient capital city. Now commonly used to describe hot weather or intense labor that causes heavy sweating.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from 'Zhan Guo Ce' (Strategies of the Warring States), in the 'Qi Ce' volume, which describes the capital city of the Qi state during the Warring States period. The text vividly portrays the incredible density of Linzi, the Qi capital: people's robes joined together to form curtains, their raised sleeves formed tents, and when they wiped their sweat it fell like rain. This illustrated both the intense heat and the massive population crammed into the city. The expression later became a standard idiom for profuse sweating.
💡 Example Usage
三伏天里，工人们在烈日下挥汗如雨地施工。
During the dog days of summer, the construction workers toiled under the scorching sun, sweating like rain.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 挥汗如雨
- Pinyin: huī hàn rú yǔ
- Literal Translation: wipe, sweat, like, rain
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4