告老还乡 (gào lǎo huán xiāng) — retire to one's native place after serving as an official

Definition

Literary chengyu meaning an official of advanced age resigns and returns to his hometown. Strictly formal/historical — not used for ordinary modern retirement.

idiom
retire to one's native place after serving as an official

Examples

  • ，告老还乡。
    Tā dāng le sān shí nián guān, liù shí suì jiù gào lǎo huán xiāng le.
    After thirty years as an official, he retired to his hometown at sixty.
  • 告老还乡，。
    Gǔ dài hěn duō wén rén zuì hòu xuǎn zé gào lǎo huán xiāng, huí guī tián yuán.
    In ancient times many literati chose to retire to their native place and return to rural life.
  • 告老还乡，。
    Zhāng dà rén yǐ jīng gào lǎo huán xiāng, bú zài guò wèn cháo zhèng le.
    Minister Zhang has already retired to his hometown and no longer meddles in court affairs.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

告老retire due to age
告gàoreport老lǎoold
动宾Verb + object
还乡return home
还háireturn乡xiānghometown
动宾Verb + object

告老 (retire due to age) and 还乡 (return home) combine to mean retire to one's native place.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The origin is unclear: one theory sees 告 as 壴 (a decorated drum) above 口 (an open mouth), while another sees a tongue sticking out of 口.

Open 告 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 還; 还 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
睘
睘qióng還hái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 還 pairs 辵 (walk) with 睘 as a sound part for 'go back; return'; the simplified 还 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 还 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鄉; 乡 is its simplified writing.

  • 𠨍𠨍𠨍two people facing each other
  • 皀皀jía round-mouthed food vessel

The traditional form 鄉 combines two people facing each other with a round-mouthed food vessel, depicting a feast. The village meaning is connected to this feasting event.

Open 乡 →

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