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泪流满面 (lèi liú mǎn miàn) — tears streaming down one's face (describing extreme sadness)

Definition

A vivid 成语 meaning tears streaming down one's face, used for strong, visible grief or being deeply moved. More literary and graphic than the everyday phrase 流眼泪.

idiom
tears streaming down one's face (describing extreme sadness)

Examples

  • ，泪流满面。
    Tīng dào zhè ge è hào, tā rěn bú zhù lèi liú mǎn miàn.
    Upon hearing the bad news, he couldn't help but have tears streaming down his face.
  • ，泪流满面。
    Diàn yǐng jié jú tài gǎn rén le, guān zhòng dōu lèi liú mǎn miàn.
    The movie's ending was so touching that the audience all had tears streaming down their faces.
  • ，泪流满面。
    Tā guì zài mù qián, kū dé lèi liú mǎn miàn.
    She knelt before the grave, crying so hard that tears streamed down her face.

Origin

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 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 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →

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 滿; 满 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㒼
㒼㒼滿mǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 滿 pairs 水, showing water, with 㒼, giving the sound. The simplified 满 is a later shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 满 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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