旧地重游 (jiù dì chóng yóu) — to revisit a place one has been to before; to return to a familiar place (often with nostalgia)

Definition

A chengyu meaning to revisit a familiar place, often with nostalgia or emotion. Used when someone returns to a site they once knew — a hometown, former school, or old hangout.

idiom
to revisit a place one has been to beforeto return to a familiar place (often with nostalgia)

Examples

  • 旧地重游，。
    Èr shí nián hòu jiù dì chóng yóu, xīn lǐ gǎn kǎi wàn qiān.
    Returning to the old place after twenty years, I was filled with a thousand emotions.
  • 旧地重游，。
    Zhè cì jiù dì chóng yóu, fā xiàn biàn huà hěn dà.
    This time revisiting the old place, I found it had changed a lot.
  • 旧地重游。
    Tā měi nián dōu huì jiù dì chóng yóu yí cì mǔ xiào.
    He returns to his alma mater once a year.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 舊; 旧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雈雈huánowl
Sound part声符shēngfú
臼
臼jiù舊jiù
Same sound today

The traditional form of 旧 is 舊, which shows 雈, an owl, above 臼, which gives the sound.

Open 旧 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
斿
斿yóu游yóu
Same sound today

游 combines 水 (water) with 斿, which gives the sound yóu and also relates to travelling.

Open 游 →

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