少小离家老大回

少小離家老大回

shàoxiǎolíjiālǎodàhuí

phrase

Meanings

1 left home young, returned old
2 departing home in youth and coming back only in old age (nostalgia of the returning exile)

Characters

grown up (classical, 老大 = old)

Examples

少小离家老大回，乡音无改鬓毛衰。

Shào xiǎo lí jiā lǎo dà huí, xiāng yīn wú gǎi bìn máo shuāi.

Left home young, returned old; my hometown accent unchanged, but my temples thin and grey.

他少小离家老大回，老家已经认不出来了。

Tā shàoxiǎo líjiā lǎodà huí, lǎojiā yǐjīng rèn bu chūlái le.

He left home young and returned old — he no longer recognised his home village.

Tips

history

Opening of He Zhizhang 贺知章's Tang 《回乡偶书》: ‘少小离家老大回，乡音无改鬓毛衰。儿童相见不相识，笑问客从何处来。’ (Left home young, returned old; my accent unchanged but my hair now thin. The children see me but do not know me, and laughingly ask, ‘Guest, where are you from?’) Written when He Zhizhang retired to his hometown after 50+ years at the Tang court.

usage

少小 = young and little; 老大 = old (classical usage), not ‘eldest sibling.’ Commonly used of anyone coming back after long absence.

Stroke Order

少 shǎo

小 xiǎo

离 lí

家 jiā

老 lǎo

大 dà

回 huí