泪水

• Pinyin: lèi shuǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 泪 = 氵(water) + 目 (eye); 水 = pictograph of flowing water

Meaning

Tears; teardrops. A slightly more literary or emphatic way to say tears, often used in emotional or written contexts.

Compared to the everyday 眼泪, 泪水 carries a more emotional or literary tone. It is commonly found in novels, news reports, and speeches to describe tears in a more vivid or dramatic way. Often collocates with verbs like 流下, 模糊, 止不住.

Examples

1. 她的泪水模糊了眼睛，什么都看不清了。 Her tears blurred her eyes and she couldn't see anything clearly.
2. 听到那个好消息，他激动得泪水直流。 When he heard the good news, tears of excitement streamed down his face.
3. 别让泪水影响你的判断，冷静想一想。 Don't let tears cloud your judgement — think about it calmly.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, emotion, speeches

Tone: emotional

Do Say

• 她的泪水打湿了枕头。(Her tears soaked the pillow.)
• 泪水止不住地往下流。(The tears kept flowing down uncontrollably.)

Don't Say

• 切洋葱的时候泪水很多 (For physical/non-emotional tearing, use 眼泪 — 泪水 implies emotional weight and sounds odd for onion-cutting)

Origin & History

A compound of 泪 (tear) and 水 (water), reinforcing the liquid nature of tears. The doubling of the water concept gives the word a more vivid, expressive quality.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal