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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'to rain' with 下雨 (xiàyǔ)

    Actions & Events

    Structure

    会 + 下雨 / 下雨 + 了

    Explanation

    下雨 (xiàyǔ) means "to rain" and is the standard way to describe rainfall in Chinese. It is a verb-object compound that can be modified by adverbs of possibility or degree.

    Examples

    • 天气预报说明天要下雨，你带把伞吧。

      tiānqì yùbào shuō míngtiān yào xià yǔ, nǐ dài bǎ sǎn ba.

      The weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow; you should bring an umbrella.

    • 刚才还是晴天，怎么突然下雨了？

      gāngcái háishì qíngtiān, zěnme tūrán xià yǔ le?

      It was sunny just a moment ago — how did it suddenly start raining?

    • 连续下雨好几天了，衣服都没法晾干。

      liánxù xià yǔ hǎo jǐ tiān le, yīfu dōu méi fǎ liàng gān.

      It's been raining for several days in a row; the clothes can't dry at all.

    Expressing 'to rain' with 下雨 (xiàyǔ) | Chinese Grammar