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回娘家

Mandarin · pinyin huí niáng jiā

(of a wife) to return to her parental home
(fig.) to return to one's old place, job, school etc

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Characters in this entry

回: huí · return, turn around; a time
娘: niáng · mother; young girl; woman; wife
家: jiā · house, home, residence; family

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Mandarin tones

2–2–1 · hui2 niang2 jia1

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

(of a married woman) to return to her parents' home for a visit
(figurative) to return to one's old place, former job, etc.

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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