xià yǔ: 下雨 - To rain, Raining

• Keywords: 下雨, xiayu, Chinese for rain, to rain in Chinese, raining in Mandarin, what is xiayu, xià yǔ meaning, weather in Chinese, 下雨 grammar, Chinese weather vocabulary, HSK 1 vocabulary.
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese term 下雨 (xià yǔ), which means “to rain.” This fundamental HSK 1 word is crucial for everyday conversations about the weather. This guide breaks down its characters, cultural significance, and practical grammar, including how to describe light rain, heavy rain, and use it in different tenses. Master 下雨 (xià yǔ) and you'll be one step closer to making small talk like a native.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): xià yǔ
• Part of Speech: Verb-Object Phrase (functions as an intransitive verb)
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: To rain; for rain to fall.
• In a Nutshell: 下雨 (xià yǔ) is the most common way to say “it is raining” in Mandarin. It's a compound word that literally translates to “fall rain.” The character 下 (xià) means “to fall” or “descend,” and 雨 (yǔ) means “rain.” Understanding this structure is key to grasping how many Chinese verbs related to weather work.

• 下 (xià): This character means “down,” “below,” or “to descend.” Its original pictograph shows a horizontal line representing a surface, with a shorter line below it, indicating a position that is “under” or “down.”
• 雨 (yǔ): This character is a beautiful pictograph of “rain.” The top horizontal line represents the sky or a cloud, and the four dots below are stylized raindrops falling to the earth.

When combined, 下 (xià) and 雨 (yǔ) create the very logical and visual meaning of “rain descending” or simply “to rain.”

In many Western cultures, rain can have a gloomy or melancholy connotation (e.g., “a rainy day fund” for bad times). In traditional Chinese culture, however, rain is often viewed much more positively. As a historically agrarian society, rain was essential for good harvests and was seen as a blessing from the heavens, a symbol of life, renewal, and abundance. The famous saying 春雨贵如油 (chūn yǔ guì rú yóu), meaning “Spring rain is as precious as oil,” perfectly captures this sentiment. In art and poetry, rain can also evoke a sense of quiet contemplation, romance, or nostalgia. It's not just a weather phenomenon but a powerful atmospheric and emotional element. This contrasts with the primarily negative or inconvenient view of rain common in some parts of the West, highlighting a cultural difference in how nature is perceived.

下雨 (xià yǔ) is a high-frequency term used in everyday life, from weather forecasts to casual small talk.

• Making Observations: You'll use it to simply state what's happening outside. (e.g., `外面下雨了` - “It started raining outside.”)
• Talking About Plans: It's essential for making or changing plans based on the weather. (e.g., `如果下雨，我们就不去了` - “If it rains, we won't go.”)
• Describing Intensity: You can modify 下雨 (xià yǔ) to describe how hard it's raining.
  • 下大雨 (xià dà yǔ): To rain heavily (literally “fall big rain”).
  • 下小雨 (xià xiǎo yǔ): To drizzle or rain lightly (literally “fall small rain”).
• Grammatical Tenses:
  • Past: Add 了 (le) for completed action or use a time word. `昨天下雨了。(Zuótiān xià yǔ le.)` - It rained yesterday.
  • Present Continuous: Use 在 (zài) or 着 (zhe). `外面在下雨。(Wàimiàn zài xià yǔ.)` or `外面下着雨。(Wàimiàn xiàzhe yǔ.)` - It's raining outside.
  • Future: Use 会 (huì) to make a prediction. `明天会下雨。(Míngtiān huì xià yǔ.)` - It will rain tomorrow.

• Example 1:
  • 今天下雨了，你带伞了吗？
  • Pinyin: Jīntiān xià yǔ le, nǐ dài sǎn le ma?
  • English: It's raining today, did you bring an umbrella?
  • Analysis: A very common and practical question. `了 (le)` here indicates a new situation (it has started raining).
• Example 2:
  • 天气预报说周末会下雨。
  • Pinyin: Tiānqì yùbào shuō zhōumò huì xià yǔ.
  • English: The weather forecast says it will rain this weekend.
  • Analysis: This shows how to use `会 (huì)` to talk about future weather predictions.
• Example 3:
  • 外面正在下大雨，我们等一会儿再走吧。
  • Pinyin: Wàimiàn zhèngzài xià dà yǔ, wǒmen děng yīhuìr zài zǒu ba.
  • English: It's raining heavily outside, let's wait a bit before we leave.
  • Analysis: `正在 (zhèngzài)` emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action. `下大雨` specifies the intensity.
• Example 4:
  • 我最喜欢在下雨天看书。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ zuì xǐhuān zài xià yǔ tiān kànshū.
  • English: I love reading books on rainy days the most.
  • Analysis: Here, `下雨天 (xià yǔ tiān)` functions as a noun phrase meaning “rainy day.”
• Example 5:
  • 因为下雨，所以比赛取消了。
  • Pinyin: Yīnwèi xià yǔ, suǒyǐ bǐsài qǔxiāo le.
  • English: Because it was raining, the game was canceled.
  • Analysis: A classic example of the `因为…所以… (yīnwèi…suǒyǐ…)` structure, showing cause and effect.
• Example 6:
  • 这场雨下了三个小时。
  • Pinyin: Zhè chǎng yǔ xià le sān ge xiǎoshí.
  • English: This rain fell for three hours.
  • Analysis: This is a crucial grammar point. To state duration, the verb-object phrase `下雨` is separated. The structure is `雨 (object) + 下 (verb) + 了 (particle) + duration`.
• Example 7:
  • 昨天这里没下雨。
  • Pinyin: Zuótiān zhèlǐ méi xià yǔ.
  • English: It didn't rain here yesterday.
  • Analysis: The negative form for past actions uses `没 (méi)` or `没有 (méi yǒu)`. Note that `了 (le)` is not used with `没`.
• Example 8:
  • 外面下着毛毛雨，记得穿件外套。
  • Pinyin: Wàimiàn xiàzhe máomaoyǔ, jìdé chuān jiàn wàitào.
  • English: It's drizzling outside, remember to wear a jacket.
  • Analysis: Using `着 (zhe)` indicates a continuous state. `毛毛雨` is a more descriptive word for “drizzle.”
• Example 9:
  • 不管刮风还是下雨，他每天都坚持跑步。
  • Pinyin: Bùguǎn guā fēng háishì xià yǔ, tā měitiān dōu jiānchí pǎobù.
  • English: Regardless of whether it's windy or raining, he insists on jogging every day.
  • Analysis: This shows 下雨 (xià yǔ) used in a common idiomatic expression that means “no matter what.”
• Example 10:
  • 你看，好像要下雨了。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ kàn, hǎoxiàng yào xià yǔ le.
  • English: Look, it seems like it's about to rain.
  • Analysis: The `要…了 (yào…le)` structure indicates an imminent action. `好像 (hǎoxiàng)` means “it seems.”

• Verb-Object Structure: The most common mistake for beginners is treating 下雨 (xià yǔ) like a single English verb. It is a Verb-Object (V-O) phrase: `下 (verb) + 雨 (object)`. This means you cannot put another object after it.
  • Incorrect: 我下雨天气。(Wǒ xià yǔ tiānqì.)
  • Correct: 我喜欢下雨天。(Wǒ xǐhuān xià yǔ tiān.) - I like rainy days.
• Using Adverbs like “Very”: You cannot directly modify 下雨 (xià yǔ) with adverbs of degree like 很 (hěn).
  • Incorrect: 今天很下雨。(Jīntiān hěn xià yǔ.)
  • Correct:今天的雨下得很大。(Jīntiān de yǔ xià de hěn dà.) - Today's rain is falling heavily. (Using a complement of degree).
  • Simpler Correct Version: 今天下大雨。(Jīntiān xià dà yǔ.) - It's raining heavily today.
• Separating for Duration/Complements: As seen in Example 6, when you add information about *how* or *how long* the rain fell, you must separate the verb and object. This is a common feature of V-O phrases in Chinese.
  • Incorrect: 我看下雨一个小时了。(Wǒ kàn xià yǔ yī ge xiǎoshí le.)
  • Correct: 我看雨下了一个小时了。(Wǒ kàn yǔ xià le yī ge xiǎoshí le.) - I've been watching it rain for an hour.

• 下雪 (xià xuě): To snow. The exact same grammatical structure as `下雨`, just for snow.
• 刮风 (guā fēng): To be windy; for the wind to blow. Another common V-O weather phrase.
• 天气 (tiānqì): Weather. The general noun for the topic.
• 晴天 (qíngtiān): Sunny day. The opposite of a rainy day.
• 雨伞 (yǔsǎn): Umbrella. A useful noun made with the character `雨`.
• 雷阵雨 (léizhènyǔ): Thunderstorm. A more specific type of rain event.
• 毛毛雨 (máomaoyǔ): Drizzle. A more vivid, colloquial term for very light rain.
• 倾盆大雨 (qīng pén dà yǔ): A chengyu (idiom) for a downpour. It literally means “basin-pouring-great-rain.” Used to describe extremely heavy rain.
• 雨季 (yǔjì): Rainy season. The season when it rains a lot.