Chinese word

眼泪

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǎn lèi

Meaning

  • nountears

Example

小孩摔倒了，眼泪马上就出来了。xiǎo hái shuāi dǎo le yǎn lèi mǎ shàng jiù chū lái le

The child fell down, and tears immediately welled up.

Illustration for 眼泪 (tears)

More examples

毕业典礼上，她努力忍住眼泪。bì yè dián lǐ shàng tā nǔ lì rěn zhù yǎn lèi

At the graduation ceremony, she tried hard to hold back her tears.

Core concept

A visible overflow from the eyes, caused by emotion or by something that irritates them.

Common phrases

  • 忍住眼泪rěn zhù yǎn lèi

    hold back tears

  • 擦干眼泪cā gàn yǎn lèi

    wipe away tears

Similar words

泪水lèi shuǐ: Tears from the eyes, often used in writing or formal speech.

Definition in Chinese

从眼眶溢出的泪液，既可表示悲伤或喜悦的情绪，也可因风沙或异物刺激而产生。cóng yǎn kuàng yì chū de lèi yè jì kě biǎo shì bēi shāng huò xǐ yuè de qíng xù yě kě yīn fēng shā huò yì wù cì jī ér chǎn shēng

Word origin

眼泪 (yǎnlèi, "tears") combines 眼 (yǎn, "eye") with 泪 (lèi, "tear"), so the compound names liquid that comes from the eye.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the noun often pairs with verbs such as 流 (liú, "flow"), 擦 (cā, "wipe"), and 掉 (diào, "fall off") to show what happens to the tears.

Opposites

Word lists with this word