落叶归根

Traditional form:

落葉歸根

Pinyin (reading):

luòyèguīgēn

Definitions:

• lit. a falling leaf returns to the roots (idiom)
• fig. all things go back to their source eventually
• in old age, an expatriate returns home

Characters:

• 落 - to fall, to drop; surplus, net income
• 叶 - leaf, page; surname
• 归 - to return, to go back; to return to, to revert
• 根 - root, basis, foundation

Traditional characters:

• 落 - to fall, to drop; surplus, net income
• 葉 - leaf, page; surname
• 歸 - to return, to go back; to return to, to revert
• 根 - root, basis, foundation