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下雨 (xià yǔ) — to rain

Definition

A weather verb meaning 'to rain' — describes the action itself, while 雨 (yǔ) is the noun 'rain' as a substance. Use 下雨 when saying it is raining; use 雨 for things like 雨伞 or 雨水.

phrase
to rain

Examples

  • 下雨。
    Jīn tiān xià yǔ le.
    It rained today.
  • 。
    Míng tiān bú xià yǔ.
    It won't rain tomorrow.
  • 。
    Zuó tiān xià le yǔ.
    It rained yesterday.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

下xiàfall
雨yǔrain

The '下' falling and '雨' rain together describe rain coming down.

Characters in this word

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.

Open 下 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 1HSK 2.0 Level 1Weather

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