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近乡情更怯

近鄉情更怯
jìnxiāngqínggèngqiè
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 the closer to home one draws, the more timid the heart becomes
  2. 2 fig. approaching home after long absence, anxiety deepens rather than eases
  3. 3 the paradox of homecoming

Examples

离家二十年，近乡情更怯，不敢问来人。
Líjiā èrshí nián, jìn xiāng qíng gèng qiè, bù gǎn wèn láirén.
Away from home for twenty years, the closer I come the more timid I feel — I dare not ask those coming the other way.
飞机快降落时，他有一种近乡情更怯的感觉。
Fēijī kuài jiàngluò shí, tā yǒu yì zhǒng jìn xiāng qíng gèng qiè de gǎnjué.
As the plane was landing, he felt that classical 'closer to home, more timid' feeling.

Tips

history
From Song Zhiwen's (宋之问) Early-Tang poem 《渡汉江》 (Crossing the Han River): 岭外音书断，经冬复历春。近乡情更怯，不敢问来人。 — 'Beyond the mountains, letters were cut off; a winter passed, then spring. As home draws near my heart grows more fearful — I dare not ask the travelers I meet.' Written after long exile south of the Nanling range, with the poet terrified of what news of his family he might hear.
usage
Usually paired with 不敢问来人. The central paradox — dread increasing as home nears — makes this one of Chinese literature's most quoted lines on homecoming, especially among overseas Chinese.

Stroke Order

近 jìn
乡 xiāng
情 qíng
更 gèng
怯 qiè