落泪 (luò lèi) — to shed tears, to weep | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A written/literary verb meaning 'to shed tears', more formal than everyday 哭 or 流泪, often used to describe emotional reactions to news or moving events.

verb

to shed tearsto weep

Examples

，落泪。
Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā gǎn dòng dé luò lèi le.
Hearing the news, she was so moved that she shed tears.
。
Tā zài zàng lǐ shàng luò le jǐ dī lèi.
He shed a few tears at the funeral.
，落泪。
Tā suī rán jiān qiáng, dàn dú dào nà fēng xìn shí yě rěn bú zhù luò lèi.
Strong as he is, he couldn't help weeping when he read that letter.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

落 means drop, and 泪 means tears; together they describe tears falling, i.e. weeping.

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.

艹洛落

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

洛

洛luò落luò

Same sound today

落 pairs 艹 with 洛; 洛 gives the sound, and 艹 relates to the meaning.

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.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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