return to one's roots; fall leaves return to roots
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to return to one's hometown in old age; to return to one's roots; fig. all things return to their origin
A traditional Chinese idiom expressing the concept that people, especially those living away from home, eventually return to their place of origin. Often used to describe elderly overseas Chinese or migrants returning to their ancestral homes. The variant form '落叶归根' is also commonly used.
When people get old, they always want to return to their roots and go back to the place where they were born and raised.
He drifted overseas for thirty years, but in the end he chose to return to his roots and went back to his hometown.
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As the saying goes, 'fallen leaves return to the roots'—you've been working hard outside for so many years, it's time to go home and visit.
This elderly overseas Chinese never stopped thinking about returning to his roots, and finally returned to his ancestral land before passing away.