回头是岸 huitóushì'àn Turning back is the shore

Explanation

比喻迷途知返，改过自新。

A metaphor for returning to virtue and self-improvement.

Origin Story

从前，在一个偏僻的小山村里，住着一位名叫阿牛的年轻人。他年轻气盛，不务正业，整日游手好闲，沉迷于赌博和酗酒，欠下了一屁股债。他的父母以泪洗面，苦苦劝说他回头是岸，但他却充耳不闻，继续沉沦。有一天，阿牛输光了家里的最后一点钱，绝望之际，他来到了村边的一座古寺，准备结束自己的生命。然而，当他站在悬崖边上，看着寺庙里传出的阵阵诵经声，心中竟然涌起一丝平静。他走进了寺庙，一位慈祥的老和尚接待了他，老和尚没有责怪他，只是静静地听着他的倾诉，然后为他讲了佛经中的故事，阐述了因果报应的道理。阿牛被老和尚的慈悲和佛经的道理所感动，他终于明白了自己的错误，痛哭流涕地向老和尚忏悔。老和尚告诉他：“回头是岸，只要你决心改过，一切都不会太晚。”阿牛从此洗心革面，在寺庙里做起了杂役，勤劳肯干，日渐成熟稳重。几年后，他离开了寺庙，回到家乡，用自己的辛勤劳动还清了债务，并过上了平静而幸福的生活。他时常告诫自己，要珍惜来之不易的幸福，永远不忘回头是岸的道理。

congqian, zai yige pianpi de xiaoshancunli, zhuozhe yige ming jiao aniude qingniannian. ta qingniang qisheng, buwuzhengye, zhengri youshouhao xian, chenmiyu dubo he xiujiu, qianxia le yipigu zhai. tas fumu yilei xianmian, kukuku quanshuo ta huitoushian, dan ta que chong'erbuwen, jixu chenlun. you yitian, aniuy su guang le jiali de zuihou yidian qian, juewang zhiji, ta laidaole cunbian de yizuo gusi, zhunbei jieshu ziji de shengming. ran'er, dang ta zhanzai xuan'yan bian shang, kanzhe simiao li chuanchu de zhenzhen songjingsheng, xinzhong jingran yongqi yisi pingjing. ta zoujinle simiao, yige cixiang de laoheng jiedaile ta, laoheng meiyou zeguai ta, zhishi jingjing di tingzhe ta de qingsu, ranhou weita jiangle fojing zhong de gushi, chanshu le yinguobao ying de daoli. aniube laoheng de cibai he fojing de daoli suo gandong, ta zhongyu mingbaile ziji de cuowu, tongku liuti de xiang laoheng chanhuie. laoheng gaosu ta: 'huitoushian, zhiyao ni juexin gaiguo, yiqie dou buhui tai wan.' aniyu congci xixin gemian, zai simiao li zuo qile zayi, qinlao kengan, rijian chengshu wenzhong. ji nian hou, ta likai le simiao, huidao jiaxiang, yong ziji de xinqin laodong huanqing le zhaiwu, bing guoshanle pingjing er xingfu de sheng huo. ta shichang gaoxie ziji, yao zhenxi laizhibuyi de xingfu, yongyuan bu wang huitoushian de daoli.

Once upon a time, in a remote mountain village, there lived a young man named An Niu. He was young and impetuous, led a dissolute life, was lazy, and indulged in gambling and alcohol. He had accumulated huge debts. His parents wept bitterly and tried desperately to reason with him, but he refused to listen and sank deeper into his vices. One day, An Niu lost the last of his family’s money. In despair, he went to an old temple on the edge of the village, intending to end his life. But as he stood on the precipice, listening to the chanting from the temple, he felt an unexpected calm in his heart. He entered the temple, where a compassionate old monk received him. The monk did not scold him, but simply listened to his words. Then he told him stories from the Buddhist scriptures and explained to him the principles of cause and effect. An Niu was deeply moved by the monk’s compassion and the teachings of the Buddhist scriptures. He realized his mistakes and wept bitterly as he confessed his remorse to the monk. The monk told him, “Returning is the shore; as long as you are determined to reform, it is never too late.” From that day on, An Niu changed his life, working diligently in the temple. After several years, he left the temple and returned to his hometown. Through hard work, he repaid his debts and lived a peaceful and happy life. He constantly reminded himself to cherish his hard-won happiness and never forget the principle of return.

Usage

多用于劝诫他人改过自新。

duoyongyu quanjie taren gaiguo zixin

Often used to urge others to reform and self-improvement.

Examples

• 他终于迷途知返，回头是岸了。

  ta zhongyu mituzhifan, huitoushian le

  He finally turned back and found the right way.

• 浪子回头金不换，回头是岸，重新做人

  langzi huitou jinbuhuan, huitoushian, chongxin zuoren

  It’s never too late to turn a new leaf

Related Idioms

• 迷途知返

• 浪子回头

Opposite Idioms

• 执迷不悟

• 死不悔改