风前烛

風前燭

fēngqiánzhú

idiom

Meanings

1 a candle in the wind (fig.)
2 one's fading years
3 life at its frail, flickering end

Characters

Examples

老人已是风前烛，儿孙们都守在身边。

Lǎorén yǐ shì fēngqiánzhú, érsūnmen dōu shǒu zài shēnbiān.

The old man is already a candle in the wind, with his children and grandchildren keeping vigil beside him.

他年近九十，风前烛残，仍坚持写作。

Tā nián jìn jiǔshí, fēngqiánzhú cán, réng jiānchí xiězuò.

Nearly ninety and with his life flickering like a candle in the wind, he still keeps writing.

Tips

memory

Picture a candle flame in the wind — the full expression is 风前残烛 (fēngqián cánzhú), "guttering candle in the wind." The metaphor for an old person's last years is near-universal.

Stroke Order

风 fēng

前 qián

烛 zhú