归期 (guī jī) — expected date of one's return

Definition

归期 (guīqī) is a literary, written-style word for the date one is expected to return home — most often used in poetic or formal contexts, not daily conversation. Pairs with verbs like 定, 到了.

noun
expected date of one's return

Examples

  • 归期，。
    Tā de guī jī hái méi què dìng, kě néng yào zài děng yí gè yuè.
    His expected date of return hasn't been set yet; he may have to wait another month.
  • ，归期。
    Zhàn zhēng jié shù le, shì bīng men zhōng yú děng dào le guī jī.
    The war ended, and the soldiers finally got their expected date of return.
  • 归期。
    Tā měi tiān zài rì lì shàng biāo jì zhe guī jī de rì zi.
    She marks the days until his expected return on the calendar every day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

归guīreturn
期qīdate

归 means return and 期 means date or period, giving the expected date of return.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rì
Sound part声符shēngfú
其
其qí期qī
Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

Open 期 →

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