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完璧归赵wán bì guī zhàoto return something intact to its rightful owner

Not on the HSK 3.0 syllabusidiom

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

完璧归赵 (wán bì guī zhào) means to return something intact to its rightful owner. Literally it means “to return the jade annulus to Zhao.” Speakers use it when they give back something they borrowed or kept, in the same good condition, to the person it belongs to.

What does 完璧归赵 mean?

  1. 1.

    to return something intact to its rightful owneridiom

Figurative meaning
To return something intact to its rightful owner.
Literal meaning
To return the jade annulus to Zhao.

What do the characters in 完璧归赵 mean?

  • 完whole
  • 璧jade annulus
  • 归to give back to
  • 赵one of the seven states during the Warring States period (476–220 BC)

Where does 完璧归赵 come from?

城入趙而璧留秦;城不入,臣請完璧歸趙。

— 《史記·廉頗藺相如列傳》 (Records of the Grand Historian, Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru)

The story

Lin Xiangru tells the King of Zhao: if the cities go to Zhao, the jade disc stays in Qin; if the cities do not go to Zhao, he asks to bring the disc back to Zhao whole.

How do you use 完璧归赵?

完璧归赵 can be used when giving back a borrowed item in good condition.

What are some examples of 完璧归赵 in a sentence?

  1. 你借我的书,我今天完璧归赵。

    Nǐ jiè wǒ de shū, wǒ jīntiān wán bì guī zhào.

    The book you lent me: today I'm returning it to you intact.

  2. 我用完你的相机了,现在完璧归赵。

    Wǒ yòng wán nǐ de xiàngjī le, xiànzài wán bì guī zhào.

    I've finished using your camera, and now I'm returning it intact.

How is 完璧归赵 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    这是你的伞,谢谢你!

    Zhè shì nǐ de sǎn, xièxie nǐ!

    Here's your umbrella. Thank you!

  2. Speaker B:

    不客气。伞没坏吧?

    Bú kèqi. Sǎn méi huài ba?

    You're welcome. The umbrella isn't broken, is it?

  3. Speaker A:

    没有,完璧归赵。

    Méiyǒu, wán bì guī zhào.

    No, I'm returning it intact.

  4. Speaker B:

    太好了。

    Tài hǎo le.

    Great.

Can you use 完璧归赵 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.What does 完璧归赵 mean?
  2. 2.Which sentence uses 完璧归赵 correctly?
  3. 3.Which word fits best? 你的相机我用完了,现在____。 (I've finished with your camera; now I'm returning it intact.)

What should you learn next?

English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.