落叶归根

Pronunciation: luò yè guī gēn Literal meaning: Falling leaves return to roots

Origin & Usage

Fallen (落) leaves (叶) returning (归) to the root (根). The botany carries the argument: the leaf drops at the foot of the tree that made it and goes back into the soil that fed it, so the return is presented as natural process rather than as a decision anybody took. Chinese uses it above all of people who go home at the end of a life, to retire or to be buried, and it is central to how the Chinese diaspora talks about itself. It carries acceptance rather than sorrow.

Examples

English: "After years abroad, he returned to his hometown to retire."

Chinese: 在海外多年后，他落叶归根，回到家乡退休。