桑梓

sāngzǐ
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 one's native place; hometown

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tuìxiū hòu, tā huídào sāngzǐ, āndù wǎnnián.
After retiring, he went back to his native place to spend his old age in peace.
HSK 7-9
Zhè wèi qǐyèjiā juān qián xiū lù, zàofú sāngzǐ.
This entrepreneur paid for new roads to benefit his hometown.

Tips

history
Mulberry 桑 and catalpa 梓 were the trees parents planted beside the family home. The Book of Songs says 维桑与梓,必恭敬止 'the mulberry and the catalpa must be treated with respect', and the pair came to mean the home village itself.
register
A literary word for speeches, inscriptions and formal writing: 造福桑梓 'to benefit one's hometown', 不忘桑梓 'never to forget where one comes from'. In everyday speech say 家乡 or 老家.

Stroke Order

桑 sāng
梓 zǐ