Definition
回老家 is a verb-object compound (离合词). Literally 'return to one's hometown', it is commonly used to mean visiting your hometown or ancestral home. As a separable verb, when you need to insert a time duration or a measure word, the object 老家 can split from 回: 回了一次老家 ('went back to the hometown once'). In very colloquial, euphemistic speech, 回老家 can also mean 'to die' (like 'pass away' in English). Use with caution—the euphemism is informal and carries a casual or dark-humored tone.
v.o.
return to one's hometown(colloquial euphemism) to pass awayto die
Examples
- 回老家。Chūnjié wǒ dǎsuàn huí lǎo jiā guònián.I plan to go back to my hometown for the Chinese New Year.
- 。Wǒ yǐjīng sān nián méiyǒu huí yí cì lǎojiā le.I haven't gone back to my hometown even once in three years.
- 回老家。Tīngshuō Lǐ dàye qùnián yǐjīng huí lǎo jiā le.I heard that Uncle Li passed away last year.
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