色衰爱弛 sè shuāi ài chí Beauty fades, love wanes

Explanation

指容貌衰退，爱情减退。也指男子喜新厌旧。

Refers to the decline of beauty and love. It also refers to the fact that men prefer the new and despise the old.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有个美丽的女子名叫婉儿，她深得皇帝的宠爱，后宫佳丽三千，却唯独她一人独受恩宠。她聪明伶俐，善解人意，深得皇帝的心。然而，岁月无情，婉儿逐渐老去，容颜不再。皇帝的宠爱也随之减退，婉儿开始感受到色衰爱弛的苦楚。她曾经为皇帝策划过许多重要的事情，也曾经为皇帝生儿育女，但这一切都抵不过时间的流逝。她开始反思自己，意识到自己过于依赖皇帝的宠爱，忽略了自身的成长和提升。她开始学习琴棋书画，丰富自己的内涵，提升自己的价值。她希望通过自身的努力，重新获得皇帝的尊重和爱戴，即使容颜不再，也能拥有自己的价值。最终，婉儿凭借自身的才华和努力，再次赢得了皇帝的尊重，虽然不再像年轻时那样得到无限的宠爱，但她却活出了属于自己的精彩人生，也明白了真正的爱情并非只依赖于美貌，而是在于内心的相互欣赏和尊重。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu gè měi lì de nǚ zǐ míng jiào wǎn ér, tā shēn dé huáng dì de chǒng ài, hòu gōng jiā lì sān qiān, què wéi dú tā yī rén dú shòu ēn chǒng. tā cōng míng líng lì, shàn jiě rén yì, shēn dé huáng dì de xīn. rán ér, suì yuè wú qíng, wǎn ér zhú jiàn lǎo qù, róng yán bù zài. huáng dì de chǒng ài yě zhī suí jiǎn tuì, wǎn ér kāi shǐ gǎn shòu sè shuāi ài chí de kǔ chǔ. tā céng jīng wèi huáng dì cè huà guò xǔ duō zhòng yào de shì qíng, yě céng jīng wèi huáng dì shēng ér yù nǚ, dàn yī qiè dōu dǐ bù guò shí jiān de liú shì. tā kāi shǐ sī fǎn zì jǐ, yì shí dào zì jǐ guò yú yī kāi huáng dì de chǒng ài, huó luè le zì shēn de chéng zhǎng hé tí shēng. tā kāi shǐ xué xí qín qí shū huà, fēng fù zì jǐ de nèi hán, tí shēng zì jǐ de jià zhí. tā xī wàng tōng guò zì shēn de nǔ lì, chóng xīn huò dé huáng dì de zūn zhòng hé ài dài, jí shǐ róng yán bù zài, yě néng yǒng yǒu zì jǐ de jià zhí. zuì zhōng, wǎn ér píng jì zì shēn de cái huá hé nǔ lì, zài cì yíng dé le huáng dì de zūn zhòng, suī rán bù zài xiàng nián qīng shí nà yàng dé dào wú xiàn de chǒng ài, dàn tā què huó chū le shǔ yú zì jǐ de jīng cǎi rén shēng, yě liǎo jiě le zhēn zhèng de ài qíng bìng fēi zhǐ yī kāi yú měi mào, ér shì zài yú nèi xīn de xiāng hù xīn shǎng hé zūn zhòng.

In the Tang Dynasty, there lived a beautiful woman named Wan'er, who was deeply favored by the emperor. Among the thousands of ladies in the palace, she was the only one who enjoyed the emperor's exclusive favor. She was intelligent and considerate, winning the emperor's heart. However, time is relentless, and Wan'er gradually aged, her beauty fading. The emperor's affection also waned, and Wan'er began to feel the bitterness of being neglected. She had once planned many important events for the emperor and borne children for him, but all this could not withstand the passage of time. She began to reflect on herself, realizing that she had relied too much on the emperor's favor and neglected her own growth and improvement. She began to learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, enriching her inner life and enhancing her value. She hoped to regain the emperor's respect and love through her own efforts, even if her beauty faded, and still have her own value. In the end, Wan'er, through her own talent and efforts, once again earned the emperor's respect. Although she no longer received unlimited affection like she did in her youth, she lived a wonderful life of her own, and understood that true love does not depend solely on beauty, but on mutual appreciation and respect.

Usage

常用来形容女子因容貌衰老而失去宠爱。

cháng yòng lái xíng róng nǚ zǐ yīn róng mào shuāi lǎo ér shī qù chǒng ài

Often used to describe women who lose favor due to aging.

Examples

• 他年轻时凭借美貌得到皇帝的宠幸，如今色衰爱弛，被冷落一旁。

  tā nián qīng shí píng jiè měi mào dé dào huáng dì de chǒng xìng, rújīn sè shuāi ài chí, bèi lěng luò yī páng.

  He was favored by the emperor in his youth because of his good looks, but now, his beauty is fading, and he has been neglected.

• 自从她容颜老去后，丈夫就对她色衰爱弛，另寻新欢了。

  zì cóng tā róng yán lǎo qù hòu, zhàng fū jiù duì tā sè shuāi ài chí, lìng xún xīn huān le。

  Since her beauty has faded, her husband has neglected her and is looking for a new love affair.

Related Idioms

• 红颜易老

• 物是人非

Opposite Idioms

• 情比金坚

• 海枯石烂