📖 Meaning
Tears falling down like rain. It describes a state of extreme sorrow and grief where one weeps uncontrollably. The image conveys the sheer volume of tears shed in deep anguish.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Yan Yan' (燕燕) poem in the 'Bei Feng' (邶风) section of the Classic of Poetry (诗经), the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry compiled during the Spring and Autumn period. The poem depicts Lady Zhuang Jiang of the State of Wei watching her adopted daughter depart after being married off to a distant state. As the departing carriage vanished from sight, she gazed after it helplessly and her tears fell like rain. Traditionally dated to around the 7th century BCE, this poem is regarded as one of the earliest masterpieces of farewell poetry in the Chinese literary tradition.
💡 Example Usage
她得知亲人离世的消息后，泣涕如雨，悲痛不已。
Upon learning of her relative's passing, she wept with tears falling like rain, overcome with grief.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 泣涕如雨
- Pinyin: qì tì rú yǔ
- Literal Translation: weep, tears, like, rain
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4