却顾所来径

卻顧所來徑
quègùsuǒláijìng
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 turning back to look at the path one has come by
  2. 2 to reflect on the road already traveled
  3. 3 (lit.) turning head to regard the path by which one came

Examples

Dēngdǐng hòu, què gù suǒ lái jìng, cái fāxiàn zìjǐ zǒule duō yuǎn.
Reaching the summit, I looked back at the path I had come — only then did I see how far I'd walked.
Rén dào zhōngnián, bùfáng què gù suǒ lái jìng, xiǎngxiǎng zìjǐ yīlù de déshī.
In middle age, it doesn't hurt to 'look back at the path traveled' and reflect on what you gained and lost.

Tips

history
From 李白宿》(Li Bai, Tang): 山下 (At dusk I descended the green mountain, the mountain moon following me home. I turned to look at the path I'd come — green dimness spread across the misty slope). A quiet mountain scene that has become the stock phrase for nostalgic retrospection.
usage
here is classical 'turn back, reverse' ( = 退 退), not modern 'however.' = narrow path. Often quoted in speeches about a career or a long undertaking looking back at its origins.

Stroke Order

què
suǒ
lái
jìng