📖 Meaning
Having no home to return to. It describes being displaced, homeless, and wandering without a place to settle. The idiom conveys the tragic plight of people who have lost their homes due to war, disaster, or misfortune.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from 'Chu Ke Pai An Jing Qi' (Slapping the Table in Amazement, First Collection), a collection of vernacular short stories written by Ling Mengchu during the Ming dynasty. In volume twenty-two, a temple monk finds himself without roots or connections, and the local monks gradually grow cold and unwilling to shelter him. When he wishes to return to his hometown, he realizes he has no home left to go back to. The story illustrates the destitution and rootlessness of a person who has fallen on hard times.
💡 Example Usage
战乱过后，许多百姓流离失所，无家可归。
After the war, many people were displaced and left with no home to return to.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 无家可归
- Pinyin: wú jiā kě guī
- Literal Translation: no, home, can, return
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4