掉泪 (diào lèi) — to shed tears, to weep, to cry

Definition

A vivid, somewhat literary way to say 'shed tears.' Pairs the verb 掉 (drop/fall) with 泪 (tears), so it emphasizes tears falling rather than the act of weeping itself.

verb
to shed tearsto weepto cry

Examples

  • 掉泪。
    Tā hěn shǎo diào lèi.
    She rarely sheds tears.
  • ，。
    Tā tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, rěn bú zhù diào le lèi.
    He couldn't help shedding tears upon hearing this news.
  • 。
    Tā cóng lái méi yǒu zài bié rén miàn qián diào guò lèi.
    She has never shed tears in front of others.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

掉diàodrop
泪lèitears

“掉” means drop and “泪” means tears; together it means tears fall, as when crying.

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.

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

掉 is built from 扌 (a hand) and 卓, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 掉 →

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
水水shuǐ
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.

Open 泪 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.