挥汗如雨 (huī hàn rú yǔ) — to sweat profusely; to be dripping with sweat (from hard work or exertion)

Definition

A vivid 成语 meaning 'sweating as if it were raining' — heavy exertion or hard labor, not a passing sweat. Emphasizes the volume and dripping nature of the sweat, often from physical work under heat.

idiom
to sweat profuselyto be dripping with sweat (from hard work or exertion)

Examples

  • 挥汗如雨，。
    Gōng rén men zài liè rì xià huī hàn rú yǔ, fēi cháng xīn kǔ.
    The workers were sweating profusely under the scorching sun — it was really tough.
  • 挥汗如雨，。
    Tā pǎo wán mǎ lā sōng hòu huī hàn rú yǔ, yī fu dōu shī tòu le.
    After finishing the marathon, he was dripping with sweat, and his clothes were soaked through.
  • 挥汗如雨。
    Nóng mín men zài tián lǐ huī hàn rú yǔ dì shōu gē zhuāng jia.
    The farmers were harvesting crops in the fields, sweating profusely.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 揮; 挥 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn揮huī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 揮 pairs 扌 (hand) with 軍 as a sound part; the simplified 挥 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 挥 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān汗hàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

汗 has 水, the water form, beside 干; 水 relates to liquid sweat, while 干 gives the sound.

Open 汗 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

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.

Open 雨 →

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