掉泪 (diào lèi) — to shed tears, to weep, to cry

Definition

掉泪 is a separable verb (离合词) made up of 掉 (to fall) and 泪 (tears). It means 'to shed tears' or 'to weep', often used in more emotional or literary contexts. Since it is a verb-object compound, when you want to add duration, frequency, or a complement, you insert words between the two parts — for example, 掉了一次泪 ('shed tears once'), 掉下泪来 ('tears fall'). The subject goes before the verb: 她掉泪了 ('She shed tears').

v.o.

to shed tearsto weepto cry

Examples

掉泪。
Tā hěn shǎo diào lèi.
She rarely sheds tears.
，。
Tā tīng dào zhège xiāoxi, rěnbúzhù diào le lèi.
He couldn't help shedding tears upon hearing this news.
。
Tā cónglái méiyǒu zài biérén miànqián diào guò lèi.
She has never shed tears in front of others.

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