流泪

• Pinyin: liú lèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 流 = to flow; 泪 = 氵+ 目 (water from the eye — tears)

Meaning

To shed tears; to cry. The physical act of tears flowing from the eyes due to emotion.

A neutral and versatile expression for crying, covering a wide range of emotional triggers including sadness, joy, gratitude, or pain. Less dramatic than 痛哭 (to sob bitterly) and more specific than 哭 (to cry). Widely used in both literary and everyday contexts.

Examples

1. 听到父亲去世的消息，她忍不住流下了眼泪，久久无法平静。 When she heard that her father had passed away, she couldn’t hold back her tears and couldn’t calm down for a long time.
2. 毕业典礼上，许多同学因即将分别而悄然流泪，场面令人动容。 At the graduation ceremony, many students quietly shed tears at the thought of parting, and the scene was deeply moving.
3. 他看完那部纪录片后默默流泪，深受其中真实故事的感染。 After watching that documentary, he quietly cried, deeply affected by the real stories in it.

Usage Guide

Context: emotional, literary, daily life

Tone: emotional

Do Say

• 她读完那封信后忍不住流泪，信中的文字深深触动了她的内心。(After reading the letter she could not help shedding tears — the words in it deeply moved her.)
• 感动之余，他悄悄转过身去，不想让别人看见自己流泪。(Deeply moved, he quietly turned away, not wanting others to see him shed tears.)

Don't Say

• 把流泪和痛哭混用 — 流泪 refers specifically to tears flowing and can be silent or gentle, while 痛哭 describes intense, audible sobbing (Don't confuse 流泪 with 痛哭 — 流泪 can be quiet and gentle, while 痛哭 is intense and loud)

Origin & History

流 (to flow) + 泪 (tears) — for tears to flow.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal