男儿有泪不轻弹

男兒有淚不輕彈

nán'éryǒulèibùqīngtán

idiom

Meanings

1 real men do not shed tears lightly
2 men should hold back tears except at great sorrow
3 traditional saying on masculine restraint

Characters

Examples

HSK 5

他忍住哭声，想着男儿有泪不轻弹。

Tā rěn zhù kūshēng, xiǎng zhe nán'éryǒulèibùqīngtán.

He held back his sobs, thinking 'a real man doesn't cry easily.'

HSK 7-9

男儿有泪不轻弹，只是未到伤心处。

Nán'éryǒulèibùqīngtán, zhǐshì wèi dào shāngxīn chù.

A man does not easily shed tears - only until he reaches the point of real sorrow.

Tips

history

This saying appears in the Ming-dynasty play 《宝剑记》 by 李开先, scene 37: 男儿有泪不轻弹，只因未到伤心处. It was widely repeated afterward and became a classic expression of traditional male emotional restraint.

usage

Often paired with the following line 只是未到伤心处. Here 弹 is read tán and means 'to drop / shed (tears)'. The phrase is frequently quoted in modern discussions reflecting on gender norms.

Stroke Order

男 nán

儿 ér

有 yǒu

泪 lèi

不 bù

轻 qīng

弹 dàn