浪子回頭金不換
简 浪子回头金不换 · 繁 浪子回頭金不換Meanings
- a prodigal son returned home is worth more than gold
Characters in this entry
- 浪
- làng · wave; wasteful, reckless
- 子
- zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
- 回
- huí · return, turn around; a time
- 頭
- tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
- 金
- jīn · gold; metals in general; money; Kangxi radical 167
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 換
- huàn · change, exchange; substitute
- 头
- tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
- 换
- huàn · change
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4–3–2–2–1–4–4 · lang4 zi3 hui2 tou2 jin1 bu4 huan4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
浪子回頭金不換 · find source passages ↗ · 浪子回头金不换 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
long6 zi2 wui4 tau4 gam1 bat1 wun6
Cantonese word readings for 浪子回頭金不換. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
proverb
- It is rare when someone who has gone astray turns over a new leaf, so we should accept that person with open arms when the person does reform.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack