The spring silkworm spins silk till it dies; the candle's tears don't dry until it's ash.
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From 李商隐's Tang poem 无题·相见时难别亦难: '春蚕到死丝方尽，蜡炬成灰泪始干.' (The spring silkworm does not finish its silk until it dies; the candle's tears do not dry until it is ash.) Originally about an aching love; in the PRC it was reinterpreted as a metaphor for teachers' self-sacrifice and is widely used on Teachers' Day.
usage
蜡炬 = wax candle. The 'tears' are the candle drippings. Always quoted with the silkworm line. In the poetry, 丝 (silk) puns on 思 (longing).
