# 声泪俱下

shēng lèi jù xià

Speak while weeping deeply

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Voice and tears descend together

**Traditional Chinese:** 聲淚俱下

**Register:** Standard · expressive

[People & connection](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/relationships)

## When to use it

Describe emotional recounting with audible tears.

Tears do not establish the truth of an account.

## Understanding the expression

Voice and tears appear together, making distress both heard and seen. The expression often describes someone recounting a painful experience, pleading, or remembering a loss. It conveys the intensity of the delivery, not the accuracy of the story. Genuine emotion may come with tears or without them, and a tearful performance can also be deliberate. Context should distinguish emotional expression from evidence about what actually happened.

## Examples

她声泪俱下地讲述遭遇。

### Traditional Chinese

她聲淚俱下地講述遭遇。

tā shēng lèi jù xià dì jiǎng shù zāo yù 。

She recounted her experience through tears.

父亲声泪俱下地请求帮助。

### Traditional Chinese

父親聲淚俱下地請求幫助。

fù qīn shēng lèi jù xià dì qǐng qiú bāng zhù 。

The father pleaded for help in a tearful voice.

他声泪俱下，回忆故去的朋友。

### Traditional Chinese

他聲淚俱下，回憶故去的朋友。

tā shēng lèi jù xià ， huí yì gù qù de péng yǒu 。

He remembered his deceased friend while speaking and weeping.

孩子声泪俱下地解释误会。

### Traditional Chinese

孩子聲淚俱下地解釋誤會。

hái zi shēng lèi jù xià dì jiě shì wù huì 。

The child tearfully explained the misunderstanding.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E8%81%B2%E6%B7%9A%E4%BF%B1%E4%B8%8B)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=802&webMd=1&la=0)

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