返老还童
返老还童 (fǎn lǎo huán tóng) literally means “return to youth” and expresses “regain vitality”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: fan lao huan tong, fan lao huan tong,返老还童 meaning, 返老还童 in english
Regain vitality
Pronunciation: fǎn lǎo huán tóng Literal meaning: Return to youth
Origin & Usage
The phrase belongs to Daoist longevity literature, where reversing (返) age (老) and returning (还) to childhood (童) was not a figure of speech but the stated aim of a practice — breath work, diet, alchemy, the whole apparatus of internal cultivation. Nobody uses it literally now. What survives is the observation of unexpected vitality in someone old, and it is a warm thing to say: the retired colleague who has taken up cycling, the grandmother who is suddenly the loudest person at the table.
Examples
English: "The new skincare treatment promises to turn back the clock on aging."
Chinese: 这种新的护肤疗法承诺能让人返老还童。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
老当益壮
lǎo dāng yì zhuàng
Vigor despite age
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尊老爱幼
zūn lǎo ài yòu
Intergenerational harmony
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买椟还珠
mǎi dú huán zhū
Valuing packaging over content
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积重难返
jī zhòng nán fǎn
Entrenched practice resists reversal
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鹤发童颜
hè fà tóng yán
Youthful despite old age
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返璞归真
fǎn pú guī zhēn
Embrace authenticity
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根深蒂固
gēn shēn dì gù
Deeply entrenched and difficult to change
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童叟无欺
tóng sǒu wú qī
Honest business practices
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 返老还童 mean in English?
返老还童 (fǎn lǎo huán tóng) literally translates to “Return to youth” and is used to express “Regain vitality”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 返老还童 used?
Situation: The new skincare treatment promises to turn back the clock on aging.
What is the pinyin for 返老还童?
The pinyin pronunciation for 返老还童 is “fǎn lǎo huán tóng”.