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老泪纵横

老淚縱橫
lǎolèizònghéng
idiom #63,244

Meanings

  1. 1 an old person's tears streaming down in all directions
  2. 2 to weep uncontrollably (of an elderly person)
  3. 3 face streaked with tears of an elder

Examples

老人听到儿子平安的消息，激动得老泪纵横。
Lǎorén tīngdào érzi píng'ān de xiāoxi, jīdòng de lǎo lèi zòng héng.
Hearing his son was safe, the old man was so overcome that tears streamed down his face.
他站在父亲的墓前，老泪纵横。
Tā zhàn zài fùqīn de mù qián, lǎo lèi zòng héng.
Standing before his father's grave, he wept, tears coursing down his aged cheeks.
见到失散多年的战友，他老泪纵横。
Jiàndào shīsàn duō nián de zhànyǒu, tā lǎo lèi zòng héng.
On seeing the comrade he'd been separated from for decades, the old man's face was streaked with tears.

Tips

usage
Reserved for elderly subjects — 老 is not decorative here but means 'old (person's)'. For a young person crying similarly, use 泪流满面 or 热泪盈眶 instead.
memory
纵 = vertical, 横 = horizontal. 纵横 together means 'crisscrossing'. Picture tear tracks running both down and across the deep lines of an old face.

Stroke Order

老 lǎo
泪 lèi
纵 zòng
横 héng