When you are very sad, or sometimes very happy, water comes out of your eyes. This is called crying. In Chinese, the verb for this is 流泪 (liú lèi).
You can say someone is 流泪 when they are crying quietly, or when tears are just running down their face. It's often used for a more gentle or internal kind of crying, rather than loud sobbing.
§ Don't Confuse 流泪 with Crying
Many beginners see 流泪 (liúlèi) and immediately think of "crying." While 流泪 *is* about shedding tears, it's not the same as the act of crying. This is a common pitfall. Let's break down the difference.
- DEFINITION
- 流泪 (liúlèi) specifically means 'to shed tears.' It focuses on the physical act of tears flowing, often due to emotion, but not always. Think of it as tears coming out of your eyes.
When you want to say 'to cry' in the broader sense, including making sounds, sobbing, or showing distress, the more appropriate word is 哭 (kū).
- DEFINITION
- 哭 (kū) means 'to cry,' encompassing the full range of crying behaviors, including weeping and wailing.
§ Using 流泪 for Tears of Sadness Only
Another common mistake is to exclusively associate 流泪 with sadness. While tears of sadness are certainly a common reason for 流泪, it's not the only one. Tears can also be shed due to:
- Joy or extreme happiness
- Pain or physical discomfort
- Irritation (like when cutting onions or due to allergies)
- Laughter (tears of laughter)
So, when you use 流泪, remember its broader application. It's about the tears themselves, not just the emotional state of sadness.
她感动得流泪了。(Tā gǎndòng de liúlèi le.)
She was so touched that she shed tears.
Here, the tears are from being moved, not necessarily sad.
§ Incorrect Placement or Structure
流泪 is a verb-object compound (流 means 'to flow,' 泪 means 'tears'). It acts as a single verb. Sometimes, learners try to separate it or use it in ways that don't quite fit Chinese grammar.
Incorrect example (common mistake):
他流了很多泪。(Tā liú le hěn duō lèi.)
While you might hear this in casual speech, the more natural and standard way is to use it directly as a verb:
他流泪了。(Tā liúlèi le.)
He shed tears.
If you want to quantify the tears, you might restructure the sentence. For example:
他泪流满面。(Tā lèi liú mǎn miàn.)
His face was covered with tears. (Literally: tears flowed covering his face.)
§ Overusing it in Formal Contexts
While 流泪 is perfectly fine, sometimes in very formal or literary contexts, other expressions might be preferred. For everyday conversation, it's widely accepted and understood. Just be aware that Chinese has many nuanced ways to express emotion.
For example, instead of just saying someone 流泪 from sadness, a literary text might describe 'eyes welling up with tears' (眼泪汪汪 yǎnlèi wāngwāng) or 'tears like rain' (泪如雨下 lèi rú yǔ xià). These are more descriptive idioms, but for A2 level, focus on mastering 流泪 first.
How Formal Is It?
"她伤心地泪流满面。 (She was so sad that tears streamed down her face.)"
"他感动地流泪了。 (He shed tears of感動/moved.)"
"你别哭了。 (Don't cry.)"
"小宝宝又掉眼泪了。 (The little baby is shedding tears again.)"
"听到这个消息，我差点泪奔。 (Hearing this news, I almost burst into tears.)"
Gramática essencial
Can be used with adverbs of manner to describe how one sheds tears. For example, 悄悄地 (qiāo qiāo de) meaning quietly, or 伤心地 (shāng xīn de) meaning sadly.
她悄悄地流泪了。 (Tā qiāo qiāo de liú lèi le.) - She quietly shed tears.
Often appears in narrative contexts to describe a character's emotional state.
听到这个消息，他忍不住流泪了。 (Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xī, tā rěn bú zhù liú lèi le.) - Hearing this news, he couldn't help but shed tears.
Can be followed by a duration or frequency to indicate how long or how often one sheds tears. For example, 流泪了一整晚 (liú lèi le yī zhěng wǎn) meaning shed tears all night.
她为失去的宠物流泪了一整晚。 (Tā wèi shī qù de chǒng wù liú lèi le yī zhěng wǎn.) - She shed tears all night for her lost pet.
Can be used metaphorically in some contexts, though less common than literal usage, to express deep sorrow or suffering.
每次想到家乡，他都会默默流泪。 (Měi cì xiǎng dào jiā xiāng, tā dōu huì mò mò liú lèi.) - Every time he thinks of his hometown, he silently sheds tears.
Frequently paired with reasons for crying, often introduced by 因为 (yīnwèi) meaning because.
因为太感动，她流泪了。 (Yīnwèi tài gǎn dòng, tā liú lèi le.) - Because she was so moved, she shed tears.
Exemplos por nível
她很伤心，所以流泪了。
She was very sad, so she shed tears.
看电影时，我常常会流泪。
When watching movies, I often shed tears.
小孩子摔倒了，开始流泪。
The child fell down and started to shed tears.
听到这个故事，他感动得流泪了。
Hearing this story, he was so touched that he shed tears.
她的眼睛里充满了流泪。
Her eyes were filled with tears.
他因为太高兴而流泪。
He shed tears because he was too happy.
不要为小事流泪。
Don't shed tears over small things.
她的眼睛红了，好像刚流泪过。
Her eyes were red, as if she had just shed tears.
她看着窗外的雨，默默地流泪。
She looked out at the rain, silently shedding tears.
听到这个不幸的消息，他不禁流泪。
Hearing the unfortunate news, he couldn't help but shed tears.
电影的结局感人，让许多观众流泪。
The movie's ending was touching, making many viewers shed tears.
虽然心里很难过，她还是忍住没有流泪。
Although she was very sad, she held back her tears.
孩子们在告别的时候，都流泪了。
The children all shed tears when saying goodbye.
他回忆起往事，眼泪不自觉地流泪。
He recalled past events, and tears unconsciously shed.
看到久别重逢的亲人，她激动得流泪。
Seeing her long-lost relatives again, she was so excited she shed tears.
面对困难，他选择坚强，不轻易流泪。
Facing difficulties, he chose to be strong and not easily shed tears.
Expressões idiomáticas
"热泪盈眶 (rè lèi yíng kuàng)"
eyes brimming with tears (due to strong emotion)
听到这个好消息，她不禁热泪盈眶。
neutral"潸然泪下 (shān rán lèi xià)"
to burst into tears; to shed silent tears
看完那部电影，很多人都潸然泪下。
formal"涕泗横流 (tì sì héng liú)"
nose running and tears streaming down (due to crying profusely)
小孩子摔了一跤，疼得涕泗横流。
neutral"泪流满面 (lèi liú mǎn miàn)"
tears streaming down one's face
他因为太伤心而泪流满面。
neutral"哭笑不得 (kū xiào bù dé)"
neither knowing whether to cry or laugh; to be in an awkward situation
听到这个荒谬的借口，我真是哭笑不得。
neutral"泪眼汪汪 (lèi yǎn wāng wāng)"
eyes glistening with tears
她泪眼汪汪地看着我，不知该说什么。
neutral"声泪俱下 (shēng lèi jù xià)"
to speak in a tearful voice (often to express strong emotion or grievance)
她在法庭上声泪俱下地陈述了自己的遭遇。
formal"泣不成声 (qì bù chéng shēng)"
to sob uncontrollably, unable to speak
听到噩耗后，她泣不成声。
neutral"以泪洗面 (yǐ lèi xǐ miàn)"
to wash one's face with tears; to cry constantly (due to sorrow)
他失恋后，整日以泪洗面。
neutral"望眼欲穿 (wàng yǎn yù chuān)"
to gaze until one's eyes are weary (often implying longing or expectation), can be associated with tears of longing
她望眼欲穿地等待着远方的亲人归来。
neutralMemorize
Mnemônico
Imagine a river (流, liú) and tears (泪, lèi). The river of tears flows from your eyes.
Associação visual
Picture a cartoon character with big, round eyes and tears streaming down their face like a river. The tears are so abundant they look like a flowing stream.
Word Web
Desafio
Describe a time you saw someone流泪 (liúlèi). Why were they crying? (e.g., 她看电影的时候感动得流泪了. - She shed tears because she was moved while watching the movie.)
Teste-se 54 perguntas
她很难过，所以她开始 ____。
When someone is very sad, they might start to cry, which is '流泪'.
看到感人的电影时，我常常会 ____。
If a movie is moving, people often shed tears ('流泪').
小孩子摔倒了，觉得疼，就会 ____。
When a child falls and gets hurt, they often cry ('流泪').
高兴的时候，人会流泪。
While it's possible to cry tears of joy, '流泪' is more commonly associated with sadness or pain. For A1 level, we focus on the most direct association.
看悲伤的故事，可能会流泪。
Sad stories often make people cry, or '流泪'.
当你很生气时，你会流泪。
While anger can sometimes lead to tears, it's not the primary or most common reaction for '流泪' at this basic level.
Why is she crying?
Don't cry, it's okay.
He was so moved that he shed tears.
Read this aloud:
她流泪了。
Focus: liú lèi
Você disse:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
你为什么流泪？
Focus: wèi shén me
Você disse:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
看电影的时候，我流泪了。
Focus: kàn diàn yǐng
Você disse:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Imagine your best friend is feeling sad. What would you say to them? Use '流泪' in your response.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
别流泪了，我的朋友。我知道你很难过，但是我会一直在你身边。
Describe a time when you saw someone crying. What happened? Use '流泪' in your description.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
昨天我看到一个小女孩在公园里流泪，她的妈妈不见了。她很伤心。
Write a short sentence about why someone might cry tears of joy. Use '流泪'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
她因为收到了好消息而高兴地流泪了。
小明为什么流泪？
Read this passage:
小明看了一部悲伤的电影，电影里的故事让他很难过。他看着电影，不知不觉地流泪了。他的朋友走过来安慰他。
小明为什么流泪？
文章中提到 '电影里的故事让他很难过。他看着电影，不知不觉地流泪了。'
文章中提到 '电影里的故事让他很难过。他看着电影，不知不觉地流泪了。'
作者为什么流泪？
Read this passage:
我的小狗不见了，我找了很久都没有找到。我感到很伤心，忍不住流泪了。妈妈看到了我，抱住了我。
作者为什么流泪？
文章中说 '我的小狗不见了...我感到很伤心，忍不住流泪了。'
文章中说 '我的小狗不见了...我感到很伤心，忍不住流泪了。'
新郎为什么流泪？
Read this passage:
婚礼上，新郎看到新娘穿着漂亮的婚纱走过来，感动地流泪了。这是一个非常幸福的时刻。
新郎为什么流泪？
文章中提到 '新郎看到新娘穿着漂亮的婚纱走过来，感动地流泪了。'
文章中提到 '新郎看到新娘穿着漂亮的婚纱走过来，感动地流泪了。'
This sentence describes someone shedding tears after hearing a story. The order follows a common Chinese sentence structure: Subject + Verb + Object.
This sentence explains the reason for crying. '伤心地' (sadly) acts as an adverb describing how he cried. The second part explains the cause.
This is a comforting sentence telling someone not to be sad and to stop crying. '别...了' and '不要再...了' are common ways to express prohibitions or requests to stop.
The sentence describes someone shedding tears after hearing a story. The word order follows a typical Chinese sentence structure: Subject + Verb + Object + Adverbial + Verb (流泪). 不禁 indicates 'cannot help but'.
This sentence explains why a mother shed tears – seeing her child hurt. The structure starts with a clause indicating the reason, followed by the main subject-verb-object structure.
The sentence describes someone being too emotional to speak and continuously shedding tears. 激动得... shows the degree of excitement. 不停地 means 'continuously'.
听到这个不幸的消息，她忍不住___。
听到不好的消息，人通常会感到悲伤，所以“流泪”是这里最合适的动词。
电影里感人的情节让很多观众都___了。
“感人的情节”会让人感动，继而“流泪”。
她因为过度疲劳，眼睛都红了，差点儿___。
眼睛红了，快要哭出来，所以“流泪”是正确的。
当她再次见到失散多年的家人时，喜极而泣，___不止。
“喜极而泣”表示因为高兴而哭，所以“流泪”是正确的。
他强忍着心中的悲痛，努力不让眼泪___下来。
眼泪从眼睛里出来，用“流”最合适。
看到孩子生病受苦，她心如刀绞，不停地___。
“心如刀绞”形容非常悲痛，所以“流泪”是合适的表达。
她听到这个悲伤的消息后，不禁__________。
这句话的意思是“她听到这个悲伤的消息后，忍不住哭了”。“流泪”最符合句意。
电影的情节太感人了，很多人都看__________了。
“电影情节太感人”说明很多人会因为感动而“流泪”。
当他回忆起童年往事时，眼中__________。
回忆往事时，可能会因为思念或感动而“流泪”。
一个人高兴的时候会流泪。
有时候人因为极度高兴或感动也会流泪，比如“喜极而泣”。
“流泪”通常表示身体不适，而不是情感表达。
“流泪”主要是表达悲伤、感动、痛苦等情感，虽然某些身体不适也可能导致流泪，但其主要用途是情感表达。
哭泣一定会伴随着流泪。
“哭泣”通常指的是发出声音并伴随流泪，而“流泪”只是指眼泪流出，不一定有声音。
She couldn't help but cry when she heard the bad news.
His eyes were wet, but he didn't shed tears.
This movie was so touching it almost made me cry.
Read this aloud:
看到孩子成功的那一刻，他激动地流泪了。
Focus: 流泪 (liúlèi)
Você disse:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
即使生活再艰难，我们也要坚强，不要轻易流泪。
Focus: 轻易流泪 (qīngyì liúlèi)
Você disse:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
每次看悲剧电影，我都会流泪。
Focus: 都会流泪 (dōu huì liúlèi)
Você disse:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
她听到那个悲惨的消息后，禁不住___。
根据语境，听到悲惨的消息会让人哭泣，所以“流泪”最合适。 (Based on the context, hearing tragic news would make one cry, so 'to shed tears' is the most suitable.)
电影的结局如此感人，许多观众都___。
电影结局感人，观众会因此哭泣，选择“流泪”是恰当的。 (A moving movie ending would make the audience cry, so 'to shed tears' is appropriate.)
面对生活的巨大压力，他常常独自___。
在巨大压力下，独自哭泣是常见的反应，所以“流泪”是正确的。 (Under immense pressure, crying alone is a common reaction, thus 'to shed tears' is correct.)
一个人感到非常高兴时，可能会“流泪”。
极度高兴或感动时，人们也可能喜极而泣，所以这个说法是正确的。 (When extremely happy or moved, people can also cry tears of joy, so this statement is correct.)
“流泪”通常表示身体疲惫到了极限。
“流泪”主要表达情感，如悲伤、感动等，而非身体疲惫。 ( 'To shed tears' primarily expresses emotions like sadness or being moved, not physical exhaustion.)
在正式场合，人们总是避免“流泪”。
虽然在正式场合人们通常会克制情绪，但遇到极度感动或悲伤的情况，有时也会情不自禁地流泪。 (While people usually restrain their emotions in formal settings, in cases of extreme emotion or sadness, they may still involuntarily shed tears.)
/ 54 correct
Perfect score!
Exemplo
听到这个悲伤的故事，她忍不住流泪了。
Conteúdo relacionado
Esta palavra em outros idiomas
Frases relacionadas
Mais palavras de health
一粒
A2One pill; a grain (for small, round objects like pills).
一片
A2One tablet; a slice (for flat objects like pills).
不正常
A2abnormal
以上
A2Above, over (a number)
酸痛
A2Sore; aching (especially muscles).
倒是
A2On the contrary; actually.
针灸
A2Acupuncture; traditional Chinese therapy.
扎针
A2to give an injection
急性
B1acute (illness)
急性病
B1Acute disease.
