春蚕到死丝方尽

春蠶到死絲方盡

Chūn cán dào sǐ sī fāng jìn

quotation

Meanings

1 the silkworm's thread ends only at its death
2 devotion that lasts until the very end
3 immortal line by Li Shangyin often applied to teachers and lovers

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

他对事业的热爱真是春蚕到死丝方尽。

Tā duì shìyè de rè'ài zhēnshì chūncándàosǐsīfāngjìn.

His devotion to his work is truly 'silkworm until death.'

HSK 7-9

春蚕到死丝方尽，蜡炬成灰泪始干，常用来赞美老师。

Chūncándàosǐsīfāngjìn, làjùchénghuīlèishǐgān, chángyòng lái zànměi lǎoshī.

The silkworm's thread ends at death, the candle's tears dry only to ash - often used to praise teachers.

Tips

history

出自唐代李商隐《无题》：“相见时难别亦难，东风无力百花残。春蚕到死丝方尽，蜡炬成灰泪始干……”“丝”谐音“思”，本写爱情缠绵，后常用以喻无私奉献。

usage

“丝”谐音“思”，是李商隐典型的双关手法。常与下句“蜡炬成灰泪始干”连用。现代尤其用来形容教师的奉献精神。

Stroke Order

春 chūn

蚕 cán

到 dào

死 sǐ

丝 sī

方 fāng

尽 jìn