Chinese word

泪

Pronunciation

Pinyinlèi

Meaning

  • nountear

Example

看完电影后，我忍不住流下泪。kàn wán diàn yǐng hòu wǒ rěn bú zhù liú xià lèi

After watching the movie, I couldn't help but shed tears.

Illustration for 泪 (tear)

More examples

他读到那段话时，眼角滑下一滴泪。tā dú dào nà duàn huà shí yán jiǎo huá xià yì dī lèi

While reading that passage, a tear slid from the corner of his eye.

Core concept

A clear drop leaving the eye when strong feeling or irritation makes it release moisture.

Common phrases

  • 泪流满面lèi liú mǎn miàn

    a face covered in tears

  • 眼角滑下一滴泪yán jiǎo huá xià yì dī lèi

    a tear sliding from the corner of the eye

Similar words

眼泪yǎn lèi: Tears that come from the eyes during sadness, joy, pain, or other strong feelings.
泪水lèi shuǐ: The clear liquid flowing from the eyes because of feelings or physical irritation.

Definition in Chinese

眼睛分泌并流出的透明液体，常作为悲伤、感动或喜悦的外在表现，也可因风沙或刺激产生。yǎn jīng fēn mì bìng liú chū de tòu míng yè tǐ cháng zuò wéi bēi shāng gǎn dòng huò xǐ yuè de wài zài biǎo xiàn yě kě yīn fēng shā huò cì jī chǎn shēng

Word origin

泪 (lèi, "tear") is the simplified form of traditional 淚 (lèi, "tear"), with its water radical and eye component pointing to liquid from the eye.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, the standalone noun often has a literary or poetic tone, while natural speech commonly uses a fuller phrase to describe tears.

Opposites

  • 欢笑huān xiàolaughternoun

Related words

  • 泪眼lèi yǎntearful eyesnoun

Word lists with this word