it is raining cats and dogs

it is raining cats and dogs

The Chinese idiom, D à y à Q à NGP é n in pinyin, means that the rain is as heavy as the water in a basin. It's a heavy rain. From the White Emperor by Du Fu of Tang Dynasty.

The origin of Idioms

The poem "Bai Di" by Du Fu of Tang Dynasty: "when the clouds go out of Bai Di's city, it rains and turns over the basin in Bai Di's city."

Idiom usage

Suddenly, the black clouds on the four sides suddenly merged and the rain poured down. (Chapter 14 of biography of heroes by Xu Wei in Ming Dynasty)

Analysis of Idioms

Synonyms: downpour, downpour, torrential rain, storm. Antonyms: niuxieyu, hefengxiyu, Mengmeng Xiyu.