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背井离乡 (bèi jǐng lí xiāng) — (idiom) to leave one's native place (especially against one's will); to be forced to leave one's hometown

Definition

A literary chengyu meaning to leave one's hometown, usually unwillingly due to poverty or war. Distinct from 离开: 背井离乡 emphasizes being forced away from home for a long time.

idiom
to leave one's native place (especially against one's will)to be forced to leave one's hometown

Examples

  • ，背井离乡。
    Tā nián qīng shí yīn wèi jiā lǐ tài qióng, bù dé bú bèi jǐng lí xiāng.
    When he was young, he had to leave his hometown because his family was too poor.
  • 背井离乡，。
    Hěn duō rén zài zhàn zhēng qī jiān bèi jǐng lí xiāng, liú luò dào shì jiè gè dì.
    Many people left their homes during the war and ended up scattered around the world.
  • 背井离乡，。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō jiǎng shù le yí gè bèi jǐng lí xiāng de gù shi, shí fēn gǎn rén.
    This novel tells a story of someone leaving his hometown, which is very touching.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

背井leave the well
背bèileave井jǐngwell
动宾Verb + object
离乡leave the hometown
离líleave乡xiānghometown
动宾Verb + object

背 and 离 both mean leave, while 井 and 乡 point to the hometown, giving forced departure.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
月Written in full as肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
北
北běi背bèi
Same sound today

背 was first written as 北; 北 gives the sound, and 肉 (meat, written as 月 here) was added to separate it from 北’s north meaning.

Open 背 →

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

The shape of 井 draws a square well with supports on four sides.

Open 井 →

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 離; 离 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
离
离lí離lí
Same sound today

The traditional form 離 pairs 隹, a bird, with the sound part 离; the simplified 离 is a shorthand. This form first wrote a black-naped oriole, and the sound was borrowed for 'leave'.

Open 离 →

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 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesTravel & Tourism

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