How to Say "Rainy Day" in Chinese

雨天

yǔtiān

The Chinese phrase for "rainy day" is 雨天 (yǔtiān).

雨天 is a noun used to describe a day characterized by rain.

Meaning: literal usage (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The term is composed of the characters 雨 (rain) and 天 (day/sky/weather).

While 雨天 is a formal noun for a rainy day, 下雨天 is a more common, colloquial way to describe a day when it is raining.

yǔtiān

Unlike English, where 'rainy day' can mean a future time of financial need, the Chinese equivalent for 'saving for a rainy day' uses the word 难关 meaning 'difficult pass' or 'crisis'.
While 雨天 is a 'rainy day', the phrase 雨后春笋 describes 'spring bamboo shoots after rain', used as an idiom for things that suddenly crop up in large numbers.
The character 雨 was originally a pictograph in ancient oracle bone script, depicting several vertical lines descending from a stylized cloud.

雨天路滑，小心摔跤。
The roads are slippery on a rainy day. Be careful not to fall.
Tatoeba #9987045 by GlossaMatik, translation #11290545 by Aphima
事故发生在一个雨天。
The accident happened on a rainy day.
Tatoeba #13204783 by maina, translation #47129 by CK
下雨天留客天留我不留。
On a rainy day, we keep guests, Heaven keeps you, but I won't.
Tatoeba #13569197 by LeviHighway, translation #13569198 by LeviHighway
今天是个下雨天，记得带把伞。
Today is a rainy day, remember to bring an umbrella.
9 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are deciding what to do for the weekend.

浩然 Haoran

如果周末是雨天，我们就去看电影吧。
Rúguǒ zhōumò shì yǔtiān, wǒmen jiù qù kàn diànyǐng ba.
If it's a rainy day this weekend, let's go see a movie.
雨婷 Yuting

好主意，我也不喜欢在雨天出门。
Hǎo zhǔyì, wǒ yě bù xǐhuān zài yǔtiān chūmén.
Good idea, I don't like going out on a rainy day either.
浩然 Haoran

雨婷，你觉得明天会是雨天吗？
Yǔtíng, nǐ juéde míngtiān huì shì yǔtiān ma?
Yuting, do you think tomorrow will be a rainy day?
雨婷 Yuting

天气预报说明天天气晴朗。
Tiānqì yùbào shuō míngtiān tiānqì qínglǎng.
The weather forecast says it will be sunny tomorrow.

Sources

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