về quê
Definition
Verb phrase:
- To return to one's hometown or native village: The primary meaning of "về quê" is to go back to the rural area, village, or countryside where one was born or where one's family originates.
- To go to the countryside: It can also refer more generally to traveling from an urban area to a rural area.
Verb phrase (figurative/colloquial usage):
- To be fired/dismissed from a job: In informal slang, "về quê" humorously means to be let go from one's employment, implying a return to one's origins because one no longer has work in the city.
- To retire: It can sometimes imply retiring and returning to a quieter life in one's hometown.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Cuối tuần này tôi sẽ về quê thăm ông bà. (This weekend I will return to my hometown to visit my grandparents.)
- Mỗi dịp Tết, nhiều người thành phố về quê. (Every Tet holiday, many city dwellers go back to the countryside.)
- Verb phrase (figurative):
- Công ty cắt giảm nhân sự, anh ấy phải về quê. (The company downsized, so he had to "go back to his village" [was fired].)
Advanced Usage
"về quê ăn Tết": to go back to one's hometown for the Lunar New Year celebration (Tet).
- Cả gia đình tôi đều về quê ăn Tết. (My whole family goes back to our hometown for Tet.)
"về quê ở ẩn": to retreat to the countryside to live a secluded life.
- Sau khi giàu có, ông ấy quyết định về quê ở ẩn. (After becoming wealthy, he decided to retreat to his hometown to live in seclusion.)
Variants and Related Words
Về làng (verb phrase): to return to the village. Similar to "về quê" but can sound slightly more traditional or literary.
- Sau bao năm, ông cụ mong muốn được về làng. (After so many years, the old man longed to return to his village.)
Quê hương (noun): homeland, native land. This is the noun form referring to the concept of one's hometown or country.
- Anh ấy rất nhớ quê hương. (He misses his homeland very much.)
Synonyms
- Return home: to go back to one's place of origin.
- Go back to the countryside: to travel to a rural area.
- Be laid off: to lose one's job (for the slang meaning).
Related Idioms
Về quê nuôi cá: literally "to go back to the village to raise fish." A humorous, euphemistic idiom for being fired or having to leave one's job.
- Dự án thất bại, cả đội có nguy cơ về quê nuôi cá. (The project failed, so the whole team risks having to "go back to the village to raise fish.")
Về quê ở vườn: to go back to one's hometown to live a garden/farm life, often implying retirement.
- Bố mẹ tôi dự định về quê ở vườn khi về hưu. (My parents plan to go back to their hometown to live a garden life when they retire.)