归西

歸西

guīxī

verb #24,814

Meanings

1 to die (euphemism)
2 to pass away
3 to return to the West (Buddhist paradise)

Characters

to return, to go back

west; the Western Pure Land (Buddhist)

Examples

老人安详地归西了。

Lǎorén ānxiáng de guī xī le.

The elderly person passed away peacefully.

他在睡梦中归西，没有受苦。

Tā zài shuìmèng zhōng guī xī, méiyǒu shòu kǔ.

He passed away in his sleep, without suffering.

老爷子终于归西，享年九十岁。

Lǎoyézi zhōngyú guī xī, xiǎngnián jiǔshí suì.

The old man finally passed away at the age of ninety.

Tips

culture

归西 is a Buddhist-influenced euphemism for death. The 'West' refers to Sukhavati, the Western Pure Land (西方极乐世界) of Amitabha Buddha, where souls go after death. It carries a gentle, accepting connotation.

register

归西 is a polite, somewhat literary euphemism. It avoids direct mention of death (死). Similar in register to English 'pass away' or 'go to a better place'.

Stroke Order

归 guī

西 xī