leave one's hometown; live far from home
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to leave one's native place; to live far from home
literaryOften implies a sense of hardship, nostalgia, or forced relocation. The order of the characters is more commonly seen as "背井离乡" in modern usage, but both forms are correct.
Wèi为
le了
qiú求
xué学
，
tā他
bù不
dé得
bù不
lí离
xiāng乡
bèi背
jǐng井
，
lái来
dào到
zhè这
ge个
mò陌
shēng生
de的
chéng城
shì市
。
To pursue his studies, he had to leave his hometown and come to this unfamiliar city.
Zhàn战
zhēng争
pò迫
shǐ使
xǔ许
duō多
rén人
lí离
xiāng乡
bèi背
jǐng井
，
chéng成
wéi为
nàn难
mín民
。
The war forced many people to leave their homeland and become refugees.
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Zhè这
shǒu首
gǔ古
shī诗
biǎo表
dá达
le了
shī诗
rén人
lí离
xiāng乡
bèi背
jǐng井
hòu后
de的
sī思
xiāng乡
zhī之
qíng情
。
This ancient poem expresses the poet's nostalgia after leaving his hometown.