故乡不可见

故鄉不可見

gùxiāngbùkějiàn

phrase

Meanings

1 my homeland cannot be seen
2 classic expression of exile and homesickness — gazing toward home but finding only distance

Characters

Examples

在外打拼多年，故乡不可见，心里总是一阵空落。

Zàiwài dǎpīn duō nián, gùxiāng bùkě jiàn, xīnlǐ zǒngshì yī zhèn kōngluò.

After years of struggling far from home, the homeland is out of sight — always a wave of emptiness in the heart.

登楼远望，故乡不可见，只见长江东去。

Dēng lóu yuǎnwàng, gùxiāng bùkě jiàn, zhǐ jiàn Chángjiāng dōng qù.

Climbing the tower to gaze into the distance, I cannot see my homeland — only the Yangtze flowing east.

Tips

history

From 《晚次乐乡县》 by 陈子昂 (Chen Zi'ang, early Tang): '故乡杳无际，日暮且孤征……川原迷旧国，道路入边城。' Variations on '故乡不可见' recur across Tang poetry as a stock nostalgia-on-the-road phrase.

usage

Pairs well with lines like 遥知兄弟登高处 (Wang Wei) — same genre of 望乡 (gazing-home) lament.

Stroke Order

故 gù

乡 xiāng

不 bù

可 kě

见 jiàn