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落叶归根

落葉歸根
luòyè-guīgēn
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 fallen leaves return to their roots
  2. 2 to return to one's birthplace or origin (esp. in old age)

Examples

HSK 4
老人退休后回到了老家，落叶归根。
Lǎorén tuìxiū hòu huídào le lǎojiā, luòyè-guīgēn.
After retiring, the old man returned to his hometown - leaves return to their roots.
HSK 7-9
海外华侨总有一天会落叶归根。
Hǎiwài huáqiáo zǒng yǒu yì tiān huì luòyè-guīgēn.
Overseas Chinese will one day return to their ancestral home.

Tips

history
From the Song-era Chan Buddhist compendium 景德传灯录, where the line 叶落归根, 来时无口 expresses the natural return to one's origin.
culture
A deeply felt trope in Chinese diaspora literature - the moral pull to be buried near one's ancestral home, not abroad.

Stroke Order

落 luò
叶 yè
归 guī
根 gēn