रोना-धोना (ronaa-dhonaa)
noun
A reduplicated compound noun built from the verb रोना (ronaa, 'to cry') plus its rhyming echo धोना (dhonaa); it refers to the whole business of crying and wailing, often with a mildly dismissive or weary undertone.
Sense
1
:
crying and wailing (as a general activity or fuss)
noun, masculine Functions as a masculine noun, commonly paired with करना (karnaa) as रोना-धोना करना (ronaa-dhonaa karnaa, 'to cry and carry on') or seen ending in a fuss/scene.
Synonyms: रुदन (rudan, literary), विलाप (vilaap, literary), आँसू बहाना (aansoo bahaanaa, phrase: 'to shed tears')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is a classic Hindi echo-word (जोड़ी शब्द jodii shabd pattern) where a rhyming syllable is tacked onto a real word purely for rhythm, much like 'hustle-bustle' in English -- धोना (dhonaa) itself contributes no separate meaning of washing here. You will often hear a mother or grandmother say उसका रोना-धोना बंद नहीं होता (uskaa ronaa-dhonaa band nahiin hotaa, 'his/her crying just won't stop'), with a tone that mixes sympathy and mild annoyance.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes treat this as just a poetic doubling of रोना (ronaa) with no added meaning, but in real speech it carries a slightly impatient or exasperated tone -- someone describing another's रोना-धोना (ronaa-dhonaa) is often subtly criticizing the fuss, not just reporting tears. 2) It is used only as a noun in this fixed form; you cannot conjugate धोना (dhonaa) separately here as if it meant 'washing' -- that literal meaning is absent, it exists only to rhyme with रोना (ronaa).
Sample Sentences:
उसका रोना-धोना बंद नहीं होता।
His crying just won't stop.
(uskaa ronaa-dhonaa band nahiin hotaa।)
बच्चे का रोना-धोना सुनकर पड़ोसी भी परेशान हो गए।
Hearing the child's crying and wailing, even the neighbors got annoyed.
(bachche kaa ronaa-dhonaa sunkar padosii bhii pareshaan ho gae।)
इतना रोना-धोना मत करो, बात इतनी बड़ी नहीं है।
Don't make such a fuss, it's not that big a deal.
(itnaa ronaa-dhonaa mat karo, baat itnii badii nahiin hai।)
अगर वह हार जाती तो घर में पूरा रोना-धोना मच जाता।
If she had lost, there would have been a whole scene of crying and wailing at home.
(agar vah haar jaatii to ghar men pooraa ronaa-dhonaa mach jaataa।)
दादी कहती हैं कि इतना रोना-धोना अच्छा नहीं होता।
Grandmother says that so much crying and moaning isn't good.
(daadii kahtii hain ki itnaa ronaa-dhonaa achchhaa nahiin hotaa।)
शादी टूटने की खबर सुनते ही घर में रोना-धोना शुरू हो गया।
As soon as the news of the broken engagement was heard, crying and wailing started in the house.
(shaadii tootne kii khabar sunte hii ghar men ronaa-dhonaa shuroo ho gayaa।)
काश उसका यह रोना-धोना कभी खत्म हो जाए।
I wish this crying and wailing of hers would end someday.
(kaash uskaa yah ronaa-dhonaa kabhii khatm ho jaae।)
मुझे उसका रोना-धोना देखकर तरस भी आता है और गुस्सा भी।
Seeing her crying and moaning, I feel both pity and annoyance.
(mujhe uskaa ronaa-dhonaa dekhkar taras bhii aataa hai aur gussaa bhii।)
परीक्षा में फेल होने के बाद उसका रोना-धोना दो दिन तक चलता रहा।
After failing the exam, his crying and wailing continued for two days.
(pariikshaa men phel hone ke baad uskaa ronaa-dhonaa do din tak chaltaa rahaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
रोना-धोना
([[रोना-धोना]])
(sg.m.oblique):
रोना-धोने
([[रोना-धोने]])
(pl.m.direct):
रोना-धोने
([[रोना-धोने]])
(pl.m.oblique):
रोना-धोनों
([[रोना-धोनों]])