【每週成語】
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成語：風中殘燭（FENG ZHONG CAN ZHU）: an old age; old and ailing; an expiring burning candle in the wind; like a burning candle flickering in the wind—old and ailing；a remnant candle in the wind;
出處：古樂府“百年未幾時，奄若風中燭。”。
釋義：比喻老而病，不久人世的意思。現延伸至一切衰退枯竭的事物。亦可說“風前之燭”或“風燭殘年”。
故事： 劉因，字孟驥，元初容城人（今河北容城縣）是非常聰明，且肯下工夫讀書。著作有“靜修集”，“四書集義精要”。
他在幼兒時期，父親就去世了；他一向對母親很孝順。成年以後，曾在朝廷做右贊善大夫。後來，因為母親生病，就辭去官職，回家侍奉老母。
不久，朝廷又召他回去做官，他卻拒絕回去。有人問他為什麼放棄做官的機會，他回答說，“我老母已經90歲了，而且有病，她好比風中殘燭，我怎麼可以離開她去貪圖一時的富貴呢？”
風中燃燒的蠟燭容易熄滅，同樣的，一個年老有病的人容易死亡。此成語可亦可用在即將垮台的商業。如果一個公司就要破產，其經理可說，“我的公司如‘風中殘燭’，隨時就要關門。”
用法：張三說，“我兒子的學校，地處偏遠高山，學生寥寥無幾，如‘風中殘燭’，隨時會被撤銷、解散。”
故事英譯：Liu Yin, styled Meng Ji, of Rong Cheng ( Rong Cheng County, He Bei, today,) in the early years of Yuan Dynasty, was a figure with wisdom and determination in reading. He is the author of “The Literature of Quiet Cultivation”, “The Summary of the Four Books”. His father died early when Liu Yin was in childhood, and he was very filial to his widow mother. When he grew up as an adult, he had been an official as a secretary in the Court. Afterward, because of his mother’s sickness, he resigned from the office and returned home for serving his old sick mom.
Not long after his resignation, the Court summoned him for reinstating his original office, but he refused. He was asked why he gave up the opportunity to be an official. He answered ”my mom was 90 years old and sick, like a candle flickering in the wind, how could I leave her and go to enjoy a rich and noble life?”
A burning candle can be easily diminished; similarly, an aged and sick person can be easily died. The idiom may be used in a downing business, if a company will be going to bankrupt, the manager may say “my company is like a candle flickering in the wind, may close at any time.”
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