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不知何处是他乡

不知何處是他鄉
bùzhīhéchùshìtāxiāng
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 I no longer know where my foreign land is
  2. 2 (fig.) intoxicated comfort in which one forgets that one is far from home
  3. 3 (lit.) not-know what-place is other-land

Examples

兰陵美酒郁金香，玉碗盛来琥珀光。但使主人能醉客，不知何处是他乡。
Lánlíng měi jiǔ yùjīnxiāng, yù wǎn chéng lái hǔpò guāng. Dàn shǐ zhǔrén néng zuì kè, bù zhī hé chù shì tā xiāng.
'Lanling's fine wine with saffron fragrance, jade bowl filled with amber light. If only the host can get his guest drunk — I no longer know where the foreign land is.'
朋友盛情款待，我竟不知何处是他乡。
Péngyǒu shèngqíng kuǎndài, wǒ jìng bù zhī hé chù shì tā xiāng.
With my friends' warm hospitality, I truly no longer know where the foreign land is.

Tips

history
From 李白《客中行》(Li Bai, Tang), written while visiting Lanling (兰陵, modern south Shandong): 兰陵美酒郁金香，玉碗盛来琥珀光。但使主人能醉客，不知何处是他乡 (Lanling's fine wine with saffron fragrance, jade bowl filled with amber light. If only the host can get his guest drunk, I'll forget where the foreign land lies). A characteristic Li Bai turn: homesickness dissolved by generous wine and generous host.
usage
他乡 here = 'another country / land away from home' (not 'his hometown'). The line works as both a pro-drinking toast and a sigh of displacement. Often quoted at banquets welcoming out-of-town guests.

Stroke Order

不 bù
知 zhī
何 hé
处 chù
是 shì
他 tā
乡 xiāng