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Expressing 'to return' with 归 (guī)
Actions & Events
Direction & Movement
Structure
Subject + 归
Explanation
The character 归 (guī) means "to return" or "to go back" and is commonly used in classical and literary Chinese. In modern Chinese, it often appears in compounds like 回归 (to return) and 归还 (to give back). In the poem 游子吟, 迟迟归 means "slow to return home."
Examples
在外漂泊多年，他终于归了故乡。
zài wài piāobó duō nián, tā zhōngyú guī le gùxiāng.
After drifting away for many years, he finally returned to his hometown.
候鸟每年秋天都会归到南方过冬。
hòuniǎo měi nián qiūtiān dōu huì guī dào nánfāng guòdōng.
Migratory birds return to the south every autumn to spend the winter.
她希望丈夫能早日平安归来。
tā xīwàng zhàngfu néng zǎorì píng'ān guīlái.
She hopes her husband can return home safely soon.