諺語 · a single proverb
秋同歸根
Simplified: 秋同归根
What does 秋同歸根 (qiū tóng guī gēn) mean?
秋同歸根 (qiū tóng guī gēn) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "in autumn, all things return to the root." In use it means: Every cycle eventually returns to its origin; at the end of a season, everything comes back to where it began. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Goat.
Literally: "in autumn, all things return to the root."
The reading
The leaves climbed all spring and burned all summer. In autumn, they come down and lie at the foot of the tree that sent them up. The cycle is not loss. It is completion. The root receives what it gave, enriched by the journey it took through the air.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Daoist philosophical tradition; Tao Te Ching 道德經 influence
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 秋同歸根 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 秋同歸根 (qiū tóng guī gēn) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Daoist philosophical tradition; Tao Te Ching 道德經 influence. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 秋同歸根?
In Mandarin it is qiū tóng guī gēn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 秋同歸根 aloud in Mandarin.