TongTong
Sign in

归来 (guī lái) — to return, to come back (formal/literary)

Definition

归来 is a formal, literary 'to return / to come back' — written or elevated, not everyday speech. Use 回来 in normal conversation; 重返 means 'return to (a place, position, or state)' with a sense of resuming.

verb
to returnto come back (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 归来。
    Tā guī lái hòu dì yī jiàn shì jiù shì gěi mǔ qīn dǎ diàn huà.
    The first thing he did after returning was call his mother.
  • ，归来。
    Chūn tiān dào le, yàn zi cóng nán fāng guī lái.
    Spring has arrived; the swallows have returned from the south.
  • 归来，。
    Yóu zǐ guī lái, gù xiāng yǐ biàn le mú yàng.
    When the wanderer returned, his hometown had already changed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

归guīreturn
来láicome

Both 归 and 来 convey coming back, giving the sense of returning.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Travel & Tourism

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.