The instant I heard my hometown dialect, I finally understood what 'accent unchanged, temples gone grey' meant.
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history
From He Zhizhang's (贺知章) Tang-dynasty poem 《回乡偶书》 (On Returning Home). Full opening couplet: 『少小离家老大回，乡音无改鬓毛衰』— 'I left young and return old; my accent hasn't changed but my temple hair has thinned.' He Zhizhang retired to his hometown of Yongxing at around age 86 after decades as a Tang court official.
usage
In classical reading 衰 is often pronounced cuī to rhyme with 回 (huí) and 来 (lái) in the poem — you may hear reciters say 'bìn máo cuī.' Modern dictionary reading is shuāi; use cuī only when reciting the poem itself.
