红颜薄命 hóng yán bó mìng Beauty and Short Life

Explanation

形容女子容貌美丽而命运悲惨，多指早死或婚姻不幸。

Describes a woman who is beautiful but has a tragic fate, often dying young or having an unhappy marriage.

Origin Story

话说江南小镇，住着一户人家，女儿名叫小莲，生得貌美如花，宛如画中仙子。她自小聪慧过人，琴棋书画样样精通，追求者无数，但她心有所属，钟情于一位寒门书生。二人两情相悦，许下终身。然而，命运弄人，书生寒窗苦读多年，却始终未能高中，家中贫困不堪。为了不让心爱的女子受苦，书生毅然决定外出闯荡，寻找更好的生活。小莲含泪送别，默默祈祷爱人平安归来。然而，天有不测风云，书生途中遭遇意外，不幸身亡。小莲得知噩耗，悲痛欲绝，终日以泪洗面，不久之后，香消玉殒，年仅十八岁。二人合葬于小镇后山，墓碑上刻着“红颜薄命”四个字，令人唏嘘不已。

huà shuō jiāng nán xiǎo zhèn, zhù zhe yī hù rén jiā, nǚ ér míng jiào xiǎo lián, shēng de mào měi rú huā, wǎn rú huà zhōng xiān zǐ. tā zì xiǎo cōng huì guò rén, qín qí shū huà yàng yàng jīng tōng, zhuī qiú zhě wú shù, dàn tā xīn yǒu suǒ shǔ, zhōng qíng yú yī wèi hán mén shū shēng. èr rén liǎng qíng xiāng yuè, xǔ xià zhōng shēn. rán ér, mìng yùn nòng rén, shū shēng hán chuāng kǔ dú duō nián, què shǐ zhōng wèi néng gāo zhōng, jiā zhōng pín kùn bù kān. wèi le bù ràng xīn'ài de nǚ zǐ shòu kǔ, shū shēng yì rán jué dìng wài chū chuǎng dàng, xún zhǎo gèng hǎo de shēng huó. xiǎo lián hán lèi sòng bié, mò mò qǐ dǎo ài rén píng ān guī lái. rán ér, tiān yǒu bù cè fēng yún, shū shēng tú zhōng zāo yù yì wài, bù xìng shēn wáng. xiǎo lián dé zhī è hào, bēi tòng yù jué, zhōng rì yǐ lèi xiǎn miàn, bù jiǔ zhī hòu, xiāng xiāo yù yǔn, nián jǐn shí bā suì. èr rén hé zàng yú xiǎo zhèn hòu shān, mù bēi shàng kè zhe “hóng yán bó mìng” sì gè zì, lìng rén xī xū bù yǐ.

In a small town in southern China, there once lived a family whose daughter, Xiaolian, was of exceptional beauty. She was intelligent and talented in art and calligraphy. Many men desired her, but her heart belonged to a poor student. They loved each other and pledged eternal loyalty. But fate was not kind to them. The student studied hard, but failed all examinations and lived in poverty. To save his beloved from suffering, he decided to seek his fortune elsewhere. Xiaolian tearfully bid him farewell and prayed for his safe return. But the student had an accident on the way and died. Xiaolian, upon receiving the terrible news, was inconsolable, wept incessantly, and died shortly thereafter at the age of eighteen. They were buried on a hill behind the town, and on their tombstone was written "Hongyan Boming" (beautiful life, tragic ending).

Usage

常用作宾语、定语，形容女子美丽却命运悲惨。

cháng yòng zuò bīn yǔ, dìng yǔ, xíng róng nǚ zǐ měi lì què mìng yùn bēi cǎn

Often used as an object or attributive, describing a beautiful woman who leads a tragic life.

Examples

• 她红颜薄命，年轻时就去世了。

  tā hóng yán bó mìng, nián qīng shí jiù qù shì le

  She was beautiful but short-lived, she passed away when she was young.

• 古代许多红颜薄命的女子，都令人惋惜。

  gǔ dài xǔ duō hóng yán bó mìng de nǚ zǐ, dōu lìng rén wǎn xī

  Many beautiful but short-lived women in ancient times are regrettable.

Related Idioms

• 红颜

• 薄命

• 桃花夭夭

Opposite Idioms

• 福寿双全

• 长命百岁