归国 (guī guó) — to return to one's home country (formal)

Definition

Formal, written-style verb meaning 'to return to one's home country' — often used for scholars, scientists, or overseas students coming back after a long stay abroad.

verb
to return to one's home country (formal)

Examples

  • 归国，。
    Tā qù nián guī guó le, xiàn zài zài běi jīng gōng zuò.
    He returned to his country last year and now works in Beijing.
  • ，。
    Zhè wèi kē xué jiā céng guī guò liǎng cì guó, měi cì dōu hěn duǎn zàn.
    This scientist has returned to his country twice, each time very briefly.
  • 归国。
    Xǔ duō liú xué shēng bì yè hòu xuǎn zé guī guó fā zhǎn.
    Many international students choose to return to their country for development after graduation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

归guīreturn
国guócountry

"归" means return and "国" means country, together expressing returning to one's country.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 歸; 归 is its simplified writing.

  • 𠂤𠂤𠂤ancient form of {{zh-l|*師|troops}}
  • 帚帚zhǒubroom; sweep

The traditional form 歸 combines 𠂤 (troops) and 帚 (broom; sweep) to show sweeping away an enemy and returning; the simplified 归 is a later abbreviation.

Open 归 →

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 國; 国 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéiclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò國guó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.

Open 国 →

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