In English, "rain" serves both a noun and verb! In modern Chinese, 雨 is a noun and 下 雨is the verb form, literally "falling rain". However, in Classical Chinese, 雨 functions as a noun or verb. For example, 今朝天清昨夜雨. Here it can be a noun or verb. 1. This morning's clarity is due to last night's rain. 2. This morning's clarity is because it rained last night.