狐死首丘 — “To never forget one's origins or roots”
狐死首丘 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to never forget one's origins or roots”. To long for one's homeland, especially in old age, just as a fox turns its head towards its den when dying. Literally, “A fox dies, its head pointing towards its mound”.
狐死首丘 Pronunciation and Pinyin
狐死首丘 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 狐死首丘
Origin and Story of 狐死首丘
During the Warring States period, Qu Yuan was ostracized and slandered, losing the trust of the King of Chu and being banished to a distant land.
In his difficult life of exile, he composed many poems that reflected the people's wishes and the contradictions of reality. His representative works include 'Li Sao,' 'Jiu Ge,' and 'Jiu Zhang.'
In his poem 'Ai Ying,' he wrote: 'Birds fly back to their hometowns, and a fox, when dying, must turn its head towards its mound.'
Idioms Related to 狐死首丘
Synonyms of 狐死首丘
More idioms starting with 狐
- hú狐bù不èr二xióng雄Two dominant figures cannot coexist
- hú狐jiǎ假hǔ虎wēi威exploit another's power to intimidate
- hú狐jiǎ假chī鸱zhāng张swagger with borrowed authority
- hú狐tù兔zhī之bēi悲sorrow for one's own kind
- hú狐píng凭shǔ鼠fú伏to lurk or hide in secret
- hú狐tīng听zhī之shēng声subtle sound of water flowing under ice
- hú狐chàng唱xiāo枭hé和bad people colluding or echoing
- hú狐mái埋hú狐yáng扬overly suspicious and indecisive
- hú狐mái埋hú狐hú搰overly suspicious and indecisive
- hú狐bēn奔shǔ鼠cuàn窜flee in a panic
- hú狐mèi媚yuán猿pān攀fawn and climb unscrupulously
- hú狐mèi媚yǎn魇dào道seductive and bewitching conduct
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Open the tool →Questions about 狐死首丘
What does 狐死首丘 mean?
狐死首丘 (hú sǐ shǒu qiū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to never forget one's origins or roots”.
How do you pronounce 狐死首丘?
狐死首丘 is pronounced hú sǐ shǒu qiū in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 狐死首丘 literally mean?
Literally, 狐死首丘 means “a fox dies, its head pointing towards its mound”. It is used to mean “to never forget one's origins or roots”.
Where does 狐死首丘 come from?
狐死首丘 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 狐死首丘?
首丘：头向着狐穴所在的土丘。传说狐狸将死时，头必朝向出生的山丘。比喻不忘本。也比喻暮年思念故乡。