老泪纵横 — “Tears streaming down an old person's face”
老泪纵横 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Tears streaming down an old person's face”. Indicating profound sorrow, grief, or intense emotion. Literally, “Old tears streaming profusely”.
老泪纵横 Pronunciation and Pinyin
老泪纵横 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 老泪纵横
Origin and Story of 老泪纵横
In 757 AD, Du Fu, granted permission by Emperor Suzong of Tang, embarked on a journey home to visit his family. Along the way, he personally witnessed the widespread devastation and suffering caused by the An Lushan Rebellion.
His neighbors, bearing the brunt of the war, asked him when the conflict would cease, sharing their poignant tales of neglected farmlands and children conscripted into military service.
As they spoke of their profound sorrows, the elderly villagers could not hold back their tears, which streamed down their faces.
Witnessing their grief, Du Fu could only look up at the sky and sigh deeply.
Idioms Related to 老泪纵横
Synonyms of 老泪纵横
More idioms starting with 老
- lǎo老bù不xiǎo晓shì事old and muddled
- lǎo老zhī之jiāng将zhì至old age is approaching
- lǎo老yú于shì世gù故worldly-wise and experienced
- lǎo老sēng僧rù入dìng定deeply absorbed and still
- lǎo老bā八bèi辈zi子extremely old-fashioned
- lǎo老yī医shǎo少bo卜Each has their own strengths
- lǎo老gǔ古bǎn板an old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud
- lǎo老gǔ古dǒng董old-fashioned person or thing
- lǎo老wú吾lǎo老yǐ以jí及rén人zhī之lǎo老Respect all elders as your own
- lǎo老dà大tú徒shāng伤Regret wasted youth in old age
- lǎo老dà大tú徒shāng伤bēi悲lament wasted youth in old age
- lǎo老dà大wú无chéng成grow old without achieving anything
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Open the tool →Questions about 老泪纵横
What does 老泪纵横 mean?
老泪纵横 (lǎo lèi zòng héng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Tears streaming down an old person's face”.
How do you pronounce 老泪纵横?
老泪纵横 is pronounced lǎo lèi zòng héng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 老泪纵横 literally mean?
Literally, 老泪纵横 means “Old tears streaming profusely”. It is used to mean “Tears streaming down an old person's face”.
Where does 老泪纵横 come from?
老泪纵横 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 老泪纵横?
纵横：交错。老人泪流满面，形容极度悲伤或激动。