望秋先零 — “To show signs of decline or aging prematurely”
望秋先零 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to show signs of decline or aging prematurely”. To be physically frail and unable to withstand hardships, like a plant that withers at the mere anticipation of autumn. Literally, “To wither at the sight of autumn's approach”.
望秋先零 Pronunciation and Pinyin
望秋先零 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 望秋先零
Origin and Story of 望秋先零
During the Jin Dynasty, Gu Yue, the Right Assistant Minister of the Department of State Affairs, was the same age as Emperor Jianwen (Sima Yu). However, while the Emperor's hair was still entirely black, Gu Yue's hair had already turned completely white. The Emperor asked him why his hair had whitened first.
Gu Yue replied, "Your Majesty possesses the enduring spirit of a pine or cypress, thriving even amidst frost. Your humble servant, however, is like a willow or reed, withering at the mere sight of autumn's approach."
The Emperor was very pleased to hear this.
Idioms Related to 望秋先零
Synonyms of 望秋先零
Antonyms of 望秋先零
More idioms starting with 望
- wàng望yún云zhī之qíng情longing for one's parents
- wàng望qí其jiān肩bèi背to be able to rival or catch up
- wàng望qí其jiān肩xiàng项to be able to compete with someone
- wàng望qí其xiàng项bèi背to be able to catch up with
- wàng望zi子chéng成míng名hope for one's child to be famous
- wàng望zǐ子chéng成lóng龙hope children succeed
- wàng望chén尘bù不jí及too inferior to catch up
- wàng望chén尘piào僄shēng声believe rumors readily
- wàng望chén尘bēn奔běi北flee in disarray at enemy sight
- wàng望chén尘bēn奔kuì溃flee in disarray at enemy's approach
- wàng望chén尘bài拜fú伏kowtow to someone's every whim
- wàng望chén尘ér而bài拜bow at the dust of a powerful person
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Open the tool →Questions about 望秋先零
What does 望秋先零 mean?
望秋先零 (wàng qiū xiān líng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to show signs of decline or aging prematurely”.
How do you pronounce 望秋先零?
望秋先零 is pronounced wàng qiū xiān líng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 望秋先零 literally mean?
Literally, 望秋先零 means “to wither at the sight of autumn's approach”. It is used to mean “to show signs of decline or aging prematurely”.
Where does 望秋先零 come from?
望秋先零 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 望秋先零?
零：凋零。望见秋天将到就先凋零了。比喻体质弱，经不起风霜。也比喻未老先衰。