汗如雨下 (hàn rú yǔ xià) — to sweat profusely, to be drenched in sweat

Definition

A vivid chengyu meaning 'sweat pouring down like rain' — used for heavy sweating from heat, exertion, or nerves.

idiom

to sweat profuselyto be drenched in sweat

，汗如雨下。
Pǎo wán wǔ gōng lǐ hòu, tā hàn rú yǔ xià.
After running five kilometers, he was sweating profusely.
，汗如雨下。
Xià tiān zài gōng dì gàn huó, gōng rén men gè gè hàn rú yǔ xià.
Working on the construction site in summer, every worker was drenched in sweat.
汗如雨下，。
Miàn shì shí tā jǐn zhāng dé hàn rú yǔ xià, shǒu xīn quán shì hàn.
During the interview he was so nervous that he sweated profusely, his palms were covered in sweat.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

干

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.

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

女口如

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

女

Same sound today

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

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.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.