衣錦還鄉
See also: 衣锦还乡
Chinese
to wear brocade clothing; wealth and rank; glory | to return to one's hometown; to return home; to retire from public life | ||
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trad. (衣錦還鄉) | 衣錦 | 還鄉 | |
simp. (衣锦还乡) | 衣锦 | 还乡 | |
Literally: “to return to one's hometown in silken robes”. |
Etymology
First attested in the Book of Liang:
The idiom is possibly derived from an analogy made by Xiang Yu, as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han:
- 項王見秦宮皆以燒殘破,又心懷思欲東歸,曰:「富貴不歸故鄉,如衣錦夜行,誰知之者?」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE
- Xiàng wáng jiàn Qín gōng jiē yǐ shāo cánpò, yòu xīnhuái sī yù dōng guī, yuē: “Fùguì bù guī gùxiāng, rú yījǐn yèxíng, shéi zhī zhī zhě?” [Pinyin]
- Seeing the palace of Qin was burnt to the ground, Xiang Yu wondered if he should go eastward to his hometown, saying: "To not return home when one has made his fortune is like walking in the night with silken robes, who will notice?"
项王见秦宫皆以烧残破,又心怀思欲东归,曰:「富贵不归故乡,如衣锦夜行,谁知之者?」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
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