These four characters combine to create a powerful and poetic image: “to turn one's back on the village well and leave one's hometown.” It vividly portrays the act of severing ties with the very source of one's life and community to venture into the unknown.
The weight of 背井离乡 (bèijǐnglíxiāng) can only be understood through the lens of traditional Chinese values. For centuries, Chinese culture has championed the ideal of 安土重迁 (āntǔzhòngqiān) — finding peace in one's land and being reluctant to move. Family is the bedrock of society, and living near one's parents to practice filial piety is a core virtue. Therefore, leaving home is not seen as an exciting adventure but as a disruption of the natural, ideal order. In the West, “leaving home” or “moving to a new city” is often framed as a positive step towards independence, adventure, and self-discovery. It's a rite of passage. In contrast, 背井离乡 is almost always a lament. It implies that the person would have stayed if they could have. This term has become especially poignant in modern China. Since the 1980s, hundreds of millions of people, known as 农民工 (nóngmíngōng) or migrant workers, have left their rural villages for booming coastal cities. They are the modern embodiment of 背井离乡, sacrificing time with their children and parents to earn money to send back home. The term encapsulates their collective experience of hardship, loneliness, and the dream of one day returning home, an idea captured by the idiom 落叶归根 (luòyèguīgēn) — “fallen leaves return to their roots.”
背井离乡 is a formal and literary term with a strong emotional connotation. It is almost always used to evoke sympathy or describe a difficult situation. In News and Media Journalists and documentarians frequently use this term to describe the plight of migrant workers, refugees, or people displaced by natural disasters. It immediately frames the story with a sense of struggle and sacrifice. In Personal Conversation Someone might use this term to describe their parents' or grandparents' difficult past. For example: “My father 背井离乡 at 16 to find work in the city.” It would be unusual to use it to describe a happy, voluntary move, such as studying abroad for fun or taking a dream job in another country. The connotation is one of enduring hardship. In Literature and Music The idiom is a common theme in songs, poems, and novels that explore themes of nostalgia, homesickness (乡愁 (xiāngchóu)), and the bitterness of a life spent wandering (漂泊 (piāobó)).
Example 1: 为了给家人更好的生活，他不得不背井离乡去大城市打工。 Pinyin: Wèile gěi jiārén gèng hǎo de shēnghuó, tā bùdébù bèijǐnglíxiāng qù dà chéngshì dǎgōng. English: In order to give his family a better life, he had no choice but to leave his hometown and work in the big city. Analysis: This is a classic usage. “不得不 (bùdébù)” means “to have no choice but to,” which perfectly complements the reluctant, forced nature of 背井离乡. Example 2: 很多背井离乡的年轻人，只有在春节时才能回家看看。 Pinyin: Hěnduō bèijǐnglíxiāng de niánqīngrén, zhǐyǒu zài Chūnjié shí cáinéng huíjiā kànkan. English: Many young people who have left their hometowns can only return home for a visit during the Spring Festival. Analysis: This sentence highlights the reality for millions in China. The term is used here as an adjective to describe the young people, emphasizing their collective situation. Example 3: 战争让无数人背井离乡，四处逃难。 Pinyin: Zhànzhēng ràng wúshù rén bèijǐnglíxiāng, sìchù táonàn. English: The war caused countless people to leave their homes and flee everywhere. Analysis: This shows the idiom's use in a historical context of disaster and forced migration. The hardship is extreme. Example 4: 一想到自己背井离乡这么多年，他就忍不住流下眼泪。 Pinyin: Yī xiǎngdào zìjǐ bèijǐnglíxiāng zhème duō nián, tā jiù rěnbuzhù liúxià yǎnlèi. English: As soon as he thought about how he had been away from home for so many years, he couldn't help but shed tears. Analysis: This focuses on the deep emotional toll and nostalgia associated with the term. Example 5: 虽然在国外生活很富裕，但他时常感到背井离乡的孤独。 Pinyin: Suīrán zài guówài shēnghuó hěn fùyù, dàn tā shícháng gǎndào bèijǐnglíxiāng de gūdú. English: Although his life abroad is prosperous, he often feels the loneliness of being far from his homeland. Analysis: This shows that even material success cannot always cure the emotional pain of being uprooted. The term describes an emotional state, not just a physical one. Example 6: 那一代人中，许多都有着背井离乡的辛酸经历。 Pinyin: Nà yī dài rén zhōng, xǔduō dōu yǒuzhe bèijǐnglíxiāng de xīnsuān jīnglì. English: Among that generation, many had the bitter experience of leaving their hometowns. Analysis: Here, 背井离乡 is part of a larger noun phrase, “the bitter experience of leaving one's hometown,” showing its versatility. Example 7: 你为什么要选择背井离乡，一个人来这里奋斗呢？ Pinyin: Nǐ wèishéme yào xuǎnzé bèijǐnglíxiāng, yīgè rén lái zhèlǐ fèndòu ne? English: Why did you choose to leave home and come here to strive all by yourself? Analysis: While the term itself implies reluctance, this question probes the reasons behind such a difficult choice. It's a sympathetic question. Example 8: 他背井离乡的唯一目的，就是希望孩子们不再需要背井离乡。 Pinyin: Tā bèijǐnglíxiāng de wéiyī mùdì, jiùshì xīwàng háizimen bù zài xūyào bèijǐnglíxiāng. English: The sole purpose of him leaving his hometown was to hope that his children would not need to do the same. Analysis: A powerful sentence that captures the theme of generational sacrifice, a very common motivation for migrant workers. Example 9: 在中国现代文学中，背井离乡是一个反复出现的主题。 Pinyin: Zài Zhōngguó xiàndài wénxué zhōng, bèijǐnglíxiāng shì yīgè fǎnfù chūxiàn de zhǔtí. English: In modern Chinese literature, leaving one's hometown is a recurring theme. Analysis: This sentence talks about the concept itself, showing its cultural importance. Example 10: 经过三十年的打拼，这位背井离乡的游子终于落叶归根。 Pinyin: Jīngguò sānshí nián de dǎpīn, zhè wèi bèijǐnglíxiāng de yóuzǐ zhōngyú luòyèguīgēn. English: After thirty years of struggle, this wandering son who had left his hometown finally returned to his roots. Analysis: This sentence perfectly contrasts the beginning of the journey (背井离乡) with its ideal end (落叶归根 - fallen leaves return to their roots).