挥泪 (huī lèi) — to wipe away tears; to shed tears (literary or…

Definition

Literary/书面 verb for 'wiping away tears' at a farewell or tragic moment — a set phrase, not everyday speech. Often pairs with 告别 or 斩马谡.

verb

to wipe away tearsto shed tears (literary or formal)

挥泪。
Tā huī lèi gào bié le jiā xiāng.
He wiped away tears and bid farewell to his hometown.
，。
Sòng bié shí, tā zhī huī le yí cì lèi.
At the farewell, she only wiped away tears once.
，挥泪。
Wèi yīng xióng de xī shēng, zhòng rén huī lèi rú yǔ.
For the hero's sacrifice, the crowd shed tears like rain.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

The action is to wave or flick away tears, joining 挥 and 泪.

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.

扌軍揮

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.

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 淚; 泪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

戾

戾lì淚lèi

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 淚 uses 水 (water) and 戾 for sound; this describes 淚, not 泪.