风前烛

風前燭

fēngqiánzhú

phrase

Meanings

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

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

老人已是风前烛，儿孙们都守在身边。

Lǎorén yǐ shì fēngqiánzhú, érsūn men dōu shǒu zài shēnbiān.

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

HSK 7-9

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