Today, I want to teach you a fun way to describe rain. I taught this colloquial term to some of my students and they just loved it! It is a very imaginative word that makes the weather sound much more interesting. Furthermore, it always rains in southern cities in China, especially in the early months of summer. This word can give you more ways to talk about these daily rains and describe a very specific type!
毛毛雨 (máomáoyǔ) — drizzle; light rain.
毛 (máo): hair, fur, feathers; coarse.
雨 (yǔ): rain; rainy.
Southern China is covered in a drizzle in spring. That means from the end of February until the middle of April, there is an unceasing light rain. This rain was dubbed 毛毛雨 (máomáoyǔ) because the falling rain is light like feathers. This is also a cute way to lighten the mood when you are dealing with humid weather and constant rain clouds.
Xià le yìtiān de máomáoyǔ.
下 了 一天 的 毛毛雨。
It had been drizzling all day.
Wǒ bù xǐhuān xià máomáoyǔ de tiānqì.
我 不 喜欢 下 毛毛雨 的 天气！
I don’t like rainy weather!
The Chinese word for drizzle also has a useful metaphorical meaning. It is used to express affairs that are not worth mentioning or are beneath discussion. So you could know what the actual meaning of 毛毛雨 (máomáoyǔ) is even when people are not taking about weather.
Zhè xiē qián duì tā lái shuō shì máomáoyǔ.
这 些 钱 对 他 来 说 是 毛毛雨。
This money is a penny to him.
Jennifer Zhu is a professional Chinese teacher from eChineseLearning. She has many years of Chinese language teaching experience and received her B.A. and M.A. in “Teaching Chinese as a Second Language.”
Among the following, which kind of weather can be described as “毛毛雨 (máomáoyǔ)”？
A. Rainy
B. Sunny
C. Windy
D. Snowy
Summer Weather
How do you ask about the weather?
HSK Test
General Chinese (Beginner Level)
General Chinese (Intermediate Level)