返璞歸真

Chinese

			to return to the original state; to die
trad. (返璞歸真/返璞歸眞)		返璞	歸真/歸眞
simp. (返璞归真)		返璞	归真
alternative forms		反璞歸真／反璞归真 返樸歸真／返朴归真

Etymology

From the Zhanguo Ce (戰國策) Book XI, the fourth chapter on Qi (齊策四).

斶知足矣。歸真反璞，則終身不辱。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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斶知足矣。归真反璞，则终身不辱。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Zhanguo Ce, circa 5^th – 3^rd centuries BCE

Chù zhīzú yǐ. Guī zhēn fǎn pú, zé zhōngshēn bù rǔ. [Pinyin]

Yan Chu is content with his own. He returns to the true condition of a human being — like uncarved jade. By this, nothing can ever debase him as long as he lives.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): fǎnpúguīzhēn

  (Zhuyin): ㄈㄢˇ ㄆㄨˊ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄓㄣ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): faan² pok³ gwai¹ zan¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: fǎnpúguīzhēn
    • Zhuyin: ㄈㄢˇ ㄆㄨˊ ㄍㄨㄟ ㄓㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: fǎnpúgueijhen
    • Wade–Giles: fan³-pʻu²-kuei¹-chên¹
    • Yale: fǎn-pú-gwēi-jēn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: faanpwugueijen
    • Palladius: фаньпугуйчжэнь (fanʹpugujčžɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fän²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰu³⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: faan² pok³ gwai¹ zan¹
    • Yale: fáan pok gwāi jān
    • Cantonese Pinyin: faan² pok⁸ gwai¹ dzan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: fan² pog³ guei¹ zen¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /faːn³⁵ pʰɔːk̚³ kʷɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡sɐn⁵⁵/

Idiom

返璞歸真

1. to return to the original simple, unadorned state

Synonyms

• 歸真返璞／归真返璞