Definition

1. Noun:
   • Tear: The clear, salty liquid produced by the lacrimal glands in the eyes, typically secreted in response to emotion (such as sadness, joy, or pain) or physical irritation.
   • Tears (plural): Often used in the plural form to refer to the act of crying or the visible drops of this liquid.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Cô ấy rơi nước mắt khi nghe tin buồn. (She shed tears upon hearing the sad news.)
  • Khói bếp làm tôi chảy nước mắt. (The kitchen smoke made my eyes water / made tears come to my eyes.)
  • Đứa trẻ lau nước mắt bằng tay. (The child wiped away tears with his hand.)

Advanced Usage

• "Nước mắt cá sấu" (Crocodile tears): An idiom meaning false or insincere tears; hypocritical display of emotion.
  • Đừng tin vào nước mắt cá sấu của hắn. (Don't believe his crocodile tears.)
• "Mau nước mắt": Describes a person who cries easily or is prone to tears.
  • Cô ấy là người rất mau nước mắt. (She is a person who tears up very easily.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lệ (Noun, literary): A literary synonym for "nước mắt," meaning "tears." Often used in poetry or formal contexts.
  • Giọt lệ (A teardrop)
• Khóc (Verb): To cry, to weep. This is the action that produces "nước mắt."
  • Khóc nức nở (To sob)

Synonyms

• Lệ (as mentioned above).
• Giọt lệ (Teardrop): Specifically refers to a single drop of tear.

Related Phrases

• Rơi nước mắt / Rớt nước mắt: To shed tears, to have tears fall.
• Chảy nước mắt: For tears to flow (can be from emotion or irritation).
• Lau nước mắt: To wipe away tears.
• Đẫm nước mắt: Soaked with tears; describes something drenched in tears, often used metaphorically for great sorrow.
  • Câu chuyện đẫm nước mắt. (A tear-jerking story.)

Related Idioms

• Nước mắt chảy xuôi: Literally "tears flow downward"; meaning one naturally feels more sorrow and pity for one's own blood relatives (like children) than for others.
• Mặn như nước mắt: As salty as tears; used to describe something very salty.

1. Tear
   • Nước mắt cá sấu
     Crocodile tears