📖 Meaning
A poetic exclamation meaning 'let me go back home!' It expresses a longing to leave officialdom behind and return to a quiet life in the countryside. Used to convey the desire to retire from worldly affairs and live in seclusion.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase comes from the Jin dynasty poet Tao Yuanming's famous prose piece 'Gui Qu Lai Xi Ci' (归去来辞). Tao Yuanming, disillusioned with corrupt official life, resigned his minor post and returned to his rural farm, opening the piece with the cry '归去来兮！田园将芜，胡不归？' — 'Let me go home! My fields are about to fall into disrepair, why not return?' The phrase has since become a literary symbol of withdrawing from public office to embrace a reclusive, pastoral life.
💡 Example Usage
看透了官场纷争，他心生归去来兮之念，决心回乡隐居。
Having seen through the intrigues of officialdom, he felt the urge to return home and resolved to retire to the countryside.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 归去来兮
- Pinyin: guī qù lái xī
- Literal Translation: return, go, come, ah
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4