倾盆大雨 (qīng pén dà yǔ) — torrential rain; 'raining cats and dogs'

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傾; 倾 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 傾 combines 人 (man) with 頃, which gives the sound; 倾 is the simplified form of 傾.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

盆 pairs 分, which gives the sound, with 皿, a vessel, to indicate a basin or tub.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 雨 is an old picture of a cloud with rain drops falling from it; the top line was added later.