树高千丈，叶落归根 in English shu4 gao1 qian1 zhang4 , ye4 luo4 gui1 gen1 Meaning

Meanings

  • metaphorically a tree may grow a thousand zhang high, but its leaves return to their roots (proverb)
  • metaphorically everything has its ancestral home
  • in old age, an expatriate returns home

Simplified Characters

树 高 千 丈 ， 叶 落 归 根

Traditional Characters

樹 高 千 丈 ， 葉 落 歸 根

Pinyin

shu4 gao1 qian1 zhang4 , ye4 luo4 gui1 gen1

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

树shu4tree 高gao1surname Gao 千qian1thousand 丈zhang4measure of length, ten Chinese feet (3.3 m) ， 叶ye4to be in harmony 落luo4to leave out 归gui1surname Gui 根gen1root