葉落歸根

Chinese

			to go back; to return	radical (chem.); root; basis
trad. (葉落歸根)		葉落	歸	根
simp. (叶落归根)		叶落	归	根
Literally: “fallen leaves will return to the roots”.

Etymology

From Song dynasty book《景德傳燈錄》by 釋道原:

葉落歸根，來時無口。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

叶落归根，来时无口。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 宋·釋道原《景德傳燈錄》

Yèluòguīgēn, lái shí wú kǒu. [Pinyin]

(please add an English translation of this usage example)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yèluòguīgēn

  (Zhuyin): ㄧㄝˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄍㄣ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jip⁶ lok⁶ gwai¹ gan¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yèluòguīgēn
    • Zhuyin: ㄧㄝˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄍㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yèluògueigen
    • Wade–Giles: yeh⁴-lo⁴-kuei¹-kên¹
    • Yale: yè-lwò-gwēi-gēn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yehluohgueigen
    • Palladius: елогуйгэнь (jelogujgɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ɔ⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ kən⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jip⁶ lok⁶ gwai¹ gan¹
    • Yale: yihp lohk gwāi gān
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jip⁹ lok⁹ gwai¹ gan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yib⁶ log⁶ guei¹ gen¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiːp̚² lɔːk̚² kʷɐi̯⁵⁵ kɐn⁵⁵/

Idiom

葉落歸根

1. a person who has been away from his or her hometown for a long time would eventually return

Synonyms

• 落葉歸根／落叶归根 (luòyèguīgēn)

Descendants

• → Vietnamese: lá rụng về cội (calque)