塵歸塵，土歸土

Chinese

		dust; dirt; earth	to go back; to return	dust; dirt; earth		earth; dust; rural earth; dust; rural; uncouth; uncultured; plebeian	to go back; to return	earth; dust; rural earth; dust; rural; uncouth; uncultured; plebeian
trad. (塵歸塵，土歸土)		塵	歸	塵	，	土	歸	土
simp. (尘归尘，土归土)		尘	归	尘	，	土	归	土

Etymology

Calque of English Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): chénguīchén, tǔguītǔ

  (Zhuyin): ㄔㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄔㄣˊ , ㄊㄨˇ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄊㄨˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): can⁴ gwai¹ can⁴, tou² gwai¹ tou²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chénguīchén, tǔguītǔ
    • Zhuyin: ㄔㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄔㄣˊ , ㄊㄨˇ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄊㄨˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chéngueichén, tǔgueitǔ
    • Wade–Giles: chʻên²-kuei¹-chʻên², tʻu³-kuei¹-tʻu³
    • Yale: chén-gwēi-chén-, tǔ-gwēi-tǔ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: cherngueichern, tuugueituu
    • Palladius: чэньгуйчэнь, тугуйту (čɛnʹgujčɛnʹ, tugujtu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵ tʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ tʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: can⁴ gwai¹ can⁴, tou² gwai¹ tou²
    • Yale: chàhn gwāi chàhn, tóu gwāi tóu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsan⁴ gwai¹ tsan⁴, tou² gwai¹ tou²
    • Guangdong Romanization: cen⁴ guei¹ cen⁴, tou² guei¹ tou²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɐn²¹ kʷɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐn²¹ tʰou̯³⁵ kʷɐi̯⁵⁵ tʰou̯³⁵/

Proverb

塵歸塵，土歸土

1. ashes to ashes, dust to dust