白首同归 — “To remain close friends or like-minded even in old age”
白首同归 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to remain close friends or like-minded even in old age”. To live to old age and die together, often implying a shared destiny or long-lasting bond. Literally, “white heads return together; to reach old age and share the same end”.
白首同归 Pronunciation and Pinyin
白首同归 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 白首同归
Origin and Story of 白首同归
During the Jin Dynasty, Sun Xiu, the Minister of the Secretariat, coveted Lu Zhu, the beloved concubine of the wealthy magnate Shi Chong, and sought to claim her for himself. Lu Zhu staunchly refused, choosing death over submission.
Sun Xiu then forged an imperial edict to arrest Shi Chong.
Holding a long-standing grudge against Pan Yue for having whipped him in his youth, Sun Xiu also had Pan Yue arrested and executed alongside Shi Chong.
This tragic fate ironically echoed a line from Pan Yue's own poem, 'Jin Gu Ji Zuo Shi,' which stated: '投分寄石友，白首同所归' (I confided in my friend Shi, destined to share the same end in old age).
Idioms Related to 白首同归
More idioms starting with 白
- bái白dīng丁sú俗kè客Unlettered commoners; boorish people
- bái白yún云qīn亲shè舍missing one's parents, like white clouds over home
- bái白yún云gū孤fēi飞Longing for parents while away from home
- bái白yún云cāng苍gǒu狗worldly affairs change unpredictably
- bái白yún云qīng青shě舍yearn for distant family or hometown
- bái白tù兔chì赤wū乌the moon and sun; passage of time
- bái白dāo刀zi子jìn进，，hóng红dāo刀zi子chū出fight to the death
- bái白huá华zhī之yuàn怨lament of a discarded woman
- bái白fà发dān丹xīn心loyal and true-hearted in old age
- bái白fà发xié偕lǎo老grow old together as a loving couple
- bái白fà发qiān千zhàng丈extreme grief or worry ages one rapidly
- bái白fà发pó婆suō娑flowing white hair
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Open the tool →Questions about 白首同归
What does 白首同归 mean?
白首同归 (bái shǒu tóng guī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to remain close friends or like-minded even in old age”.
How do you pronounce 白首同归?
白首同归 is pronounced bái shǒu tóng guī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 白首同归 literally mean?
Literally, 白首同归 means “white heads return together; to reach old age and share the same end”. It is used to mean “to remain close friends or like-minded even in old age”.
Where does 白首同归 come from?
白首同归 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 白首同归?
归：归向、归宿。一直到头发白了，志趣依然相投。形容友谊长久，始终不渝。后用以表示都是老人而同时去世。