故乡

gù xiāng

native place; hometown; birthplace

HSK Level 3

Example Sentences

我很想念我的故乡。

wǒ hěn xiǎngniàn wǒ de gùxiāng.

I miss my hometown very much.

我将在下个月回到我的故乡。

wǒ jiāng zài xià gè yuè huí dào wǒ de gùxiāng.

I will return to my hometown next month.

我的故乡是一个美丽的地方。

wǒ de gùxiāng shì yī gè měilì de dìfāng.

My hometown is a beautiful place.

Synonyms

家乡 (jiāxiāng)

hometown

故里 (gùlǐ)

native place

Antonyms

异乡 (yì xiāng)

foreign land

他乡 (tā xiāng)

another place

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 故乡 (gùxiāng) for "hometown" is composed of two characters: 故 (gù) and 乡 (xiāng). The character 故 originally meant "old" or "former", but in this context it refers to one's place of origin or ancestral home. The character 乡 originally meant "countryside" or "village", but in this context it refers to one's hometown or place of birth. Together, the two characters 故乡 (gùxiāng) convey the idea of one's ancestral home or place of origin, and are often used in a nostalgic or sentimental sense to refer to one's hometown.

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