tǔ土soilshēng生borntǔ土soilzhǎng长grow
Native; locally born and bred.
Literal meaning
soil (土) — born (生) — soil (土) — grow (长)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase describing someone who was born and raised in a particular place.
Examples
Wǒ我shì是tǔ土shēng生tǔ土zhǎng长de的Běi北jīng京rén人。
I am a native of Beijing.
Tā他shì是yī一gè个tǔ土shēng生tǔ土zhǎng长de的nóng农mín民。
He is a farmer born and raised in this area.
Usage & nuances
Used to emphasize someone's connection to a specific place.
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