📖 Meaning
Tears stream down like falling rain. It describes someone who is overcome with extreme grief, sorrow, or fear. The idiom vividly conveys the intensity of emotion through the image of unrestrained weeping.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to the Song Dynasty poet Lu You (陆游) and his poem '闻虏乱有感' (Feelings Upon Hearing of the Enemy's Revolt). In the poem, Lu You climbs to a high place to gaze toward his lost homeland of Hushe, sings a mournful song to the heavens, and weeps with tears falling like rain. The poem reflects his anguish over northern territories lost to invading Jurchen forces. Over time, the phrase was extracted and used as a standalone idiom to describe overwhelming grief or terror.
💡 Example Usage
听闻老友去世的噩耗，他泪下如雨，久久说不出话来。
Upon hearing the tragic news of his old friend's passing, his tears fell like rain and for a long time he could not bring himself to speak.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 泪下如雨
- Pinyin: lèi xià rú yǔ
- Literal Translation: tears, fall, like, rain
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4