风前残烛 fēng qián cán zhú Candle in the wind

Explanation

比喻快要熄灭的蜡烛，比喻人年老体弱，生命垂危；也比喻事物即将灭亡。

A metaphor for a candle about to be extinguished, used as a metaphor for an old, weak person whose life is in danger; also used as a metaphor for something on the verge of extinction.

Origin Story

在一个寒冷的冬夜，一位老农坐在摇摇欲坠的茅屋里，听着风声呼啸，看着窗外摇曳的烛火，不禁感叹道：“人生如风前残烛，转瞬即逝啊！”他回忆起自己年轻时，意气风发，在田间地头挥洒汗水，如今却只能在寒风中瑟瑟发抖，等待着生命的终结。他感到一丝悲凉，却又带着一丝释然，因为他明白，生老病死是自然规律，而他的一生也已足够精彩。他闭上眼睛，在风声和烛火的陪伴下，静静地等待着黎明的到来，等待着生命的最后一刻。

zài yīgè hán lěng de dōng yè, yī wèi lǎo nóng zuò zài yáoyáo yù zhuì de máo wū lǐ, tīngzhe fēng shēng hū xiào, kànzhe chuāng wài yáoyè de zhú huǒ, bù jīn gǎn tàn dào：‘rén shēng rú fēng qián cán zhú, zhuǎn shùn jí shì a！’ tā huí yì qǐ zìjǐ nián qīng shí, yì qì fēng fā, zài tián jiān dì tóu huīsǎ hàn shuǐ, rú jīn què zhǐ néng zài hán fēng zhōng sè sè fǎ dǒu, děngdài zhe shēng mìng de zhōng jié。tā gǎndào yīsī bēi liáng, què yòu dài zhe yīsī shì rán, yīn wèi tā míng bái, shēng lǎo bìng sǐ shì zì rán guī lǜ, ér tā de yī shēng yě yǐ zú gòu jīng cǎi。tā bì shang yǎn jing, zài fēng shēng hé zhú huǒ de péibàn xià, jìngjìng de děngdài zhe lí míng de dàolái, děngdài zhe shēng mìng de zuì hòu yī kè。

On a cold winter night, an old farmer sat in his dilapidated hut, listening to the howling wind and watching the flickering candlelight outside. He sighed, "Life is like a candle in the wind, fleeting and ephemeral!" He recalled his youth, when he was full of vigor and worked hard in the fields. Now, he could only shiver in the cold wind, waiting for the end of his life. He felt a touch of sadness, yet also a sense of relief, for he understood that birth, old age, illness, and death are the laws of nature, and his life had been full enough. He closed his eyes, accompanied by the wind and candlelight, quietly awaiting the dawn and the final moment of his life.

Usage

用作宾语、定语；多用于比喻句。

yòng zuò bīn yǔ、dìng yǔ；duō yòng yú bǐ yù jù

Used as object and attributive; mainly used in metaphors.

Examples

• 他已是风烛残年，随时都有可能离开人世。

  tā yǐ shì fēng zhú cán nián, suí shí dōu yǒu kě néng lí kāi rén shì gōng sī miàn lín jù dà de tiǎo zhàn, jiù rú tóng fēng qián cán zhú, suí shí kě néng dǎobì

  He is already in his twilight years, and could leave the world at any time.

• 公司面临巨大的挑战，就如同风前残烛，随时可能倒闭。

  The company faces enormous challenges and could collapse at any time like a candle in the wind.

Related Idioms

• 风中残烛

• 风烛残年

Opposite Idioms

• 生龙活虎

• 朝气蓬勃