潸然淚下

First attested in c. 813 in the preface of the Song of the Brazen Immortal Bidding Farewell to Han by Li He:

青龍元年八月，詔宮官牽車西取漢孝武捧露盤仙人，欲立置前殿。宮官既拆盤，仙人臨載乃潸然淚下。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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青龙元年八月，诏宫官牵车西取汉孝武捧露盘仙人，欲立置前殿。宫官既拆盘，仙人临载乃潸然泪下。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: c. 813, 李賀,《金銅仙人辭漢歌》序

Qīnglóng yuánnián bāyuè, zhào gōngguān qiānchē xī qǔ Hàn Xiàowǔ pěng lùpán xiānrén, yù lì zhì qiándiàn. Gōngguān jì chāi pán, xiānrén lín zǎi nǎi shānrán lèi xià. [Pinyin]

In the eighth month of the first year of the Qinglong era [233 CE, but according to historical records, this event actually happened in 237], the court ordered a palace officer to ride west and bring back the gilded bronze figure of an immortal holding a disc to catch dew made during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, in order to set it up in the front court. When the palace officer removed the disc and took the statue to his carriage, the bronze immortal shed tears.

潸然淚下

1. cannot hold back one’s tears; tears running down one's cheek