a fox dies with its head towards its den; metaphor for nostalgia or loyalty to one's roots
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
a fox dies with its head facing its den; a metaphor for never forgetting one's origins or longing for one's homeland
literaryOriginates from "The Book of Rites: Tan Gong I". Used in formal or literary contexts to express deep attachment to one's roots or homeland.
Tā他
suī虽
rán然
lǚ旅
jū居
hǎi海
wài外
duō多
nián年
，
dàn但
hú狐
sǐ死
shǒu首
qiū丘
，
xīn心
zhōng中
shǐ始
zhōng终
diàn惦
niàn念
zhe着
gù故
xiāng乡
。
Although he has lived abroad for many years, his heart always yearns for his hometown, like a fox turning its head towards its den.
Zhè这
wèi位
lǎo老
huá华
qiáo侨
de的
yí遗
yuàn愿
shì是
luò落
yè叶
guī归
gēn根
，
zhēn真
shì是
hú狐
sǐ死
shǒu首
qiū丘
a啊
。
This old overseas Chinese's last wish was to be buried in his ancestral land, truly a case of 'a fox dies with its head towards its den'.
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Shī诗
jù句
zhōng中
chōng充
mǎn满
le了
hú狐
sǐ死
shǒu首
qiū丘
bān般
de的
sī思
xiāng乡
zhī之
qíng情
。
The lines of the poem are filled with a nostalgic longing akin to that of the fox turning towards its hill.