下雨
xià yǔ HSK 1

English Meaning

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📚 Example Sentences

今天下雨。
Jīntiān xiàyǔ.
It's raining today.
外面下雨。
Wàimiàn xiàyǔ.
It's raining outside.
下雨很大。
Xiàyǔ hěn dà.
It's raining heavily.
明天会下雨。
Míngtiān huì xiàyǔ.
It will rain tomorrow.
下雨时孩子们不能在外面玩。
Xiàyǔ shí háizimen bùnéng zài wàimiàn wán.
The children cannot play outside when it rains.

💡 Memory Tip

Think of 下 as 'down' and 雨 as 'rain'—rain falling down. Visualize rain (雨) falling downward (下) from clouds to remember the meaning.

📝 Usage Notes

This word is neutral in formality and used in both spoken and written Chinese. It often appears in weather descriptions, daily conversations, and forecasts. In sentences, it typically functions as a predicate, e.g., '今天下雨' (It's raining today).

📖 Grammar Points

下雨 is often used as an intransitive verb in sentences like '下雨了' (It started raining). It can be modified with adverbs, e.g., '经常下雨' (often rains), or with adjectives before 雨, e.g., '下大雨' (to rain heavily).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, rain is often associated with renewal and growth, but it can also symbolize melancholy in poetry. Phrases like '下雨天留客天' (rainy days are for keeping guests) reflect practical or social attitudes toward weather.

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 雨 (yǔ, noun meaning 'rain'), 下雨 is a verb phrase indicating the action of raining. 降雨 (jiàngyǔ) is a more formal or technical synonym often used in weather reports.

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