剪烛西窗 — “Trim the candle by the west window”
剪烛西窗 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to share a joyful reunion and intimate conversation with a loved one or close friends, especially after a long separation, often late into the night”. Literally, “trim the candle by the west window”.
剪烛西窗 Pronunciation and Pinyin
剪烛西窗 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 剪烛西窗
Origin and Story of 剪烛西窗
During the Tang Dynasty, the poet Li Shangyin served as an assistant to Liu Zhongying, the Military Governor of Dongchuan. Sichuan, where he was stationed, was often rainy and foggy, with continuous overcast skies. In a foreign land, facing the deep night and autumn rain, he felt a profound yearning for his wife.
He composed the poem "Night Rain Sent to the North" (夜雨寄北): "You ask about my return, but there's no date yet; the autumn pond overflows with water from the Bashan night rain. When will we be able to trim the candle by the west window, and recount the time of Bashan's night rain?"
This poem expresses his longing for reunion and an intimate conversation with his wife.
Idioms Related to 剪烛西窗
Synonyms of 剪烛西窗
More idioms starting with 剪
- jiǎn剪fā发pī披zī缁renounce secular life and become a monk
- jiǎn剪fà发pī披hè褐become a Buddhist monk or nun
- jiǎn剪fà发dù杜mén门withdraw from society and live reclusively
- jiǎn剪fā发bèi被hè褐renounce secular life and become a monk
- jiǎn剪è恶chú除jiān奸eliminate evil and eradicate treachery
- jiǎn剪zhī枝jié竭liú流deal with symptoms, not root cause
- jiǎn剪cǎo草chú除gēn根eradicate evil at its source
- jiǎn剪xū须huò和yào药superior's profound care for subordinates
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Open the tool →Questions about 剪烛西窗
What does 剪烛西窗 mean?
剪烛西窗 (jiǎn zhú xī chuāng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to share a joyful reunion and intimate conversation with a loved one or close friends, especially after a long separation, often late into the night”.
How do you pronounce 剪烛西窗?
剪烛西窗 is pronounced jiǎn zhú xī chuāng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 剪烛西窗 literally mean?
Literally, 剪烛西窗 means “trim the candle by the west window”. It is used to mean “to share a joyful reunion and intimate conversation with a loved one or close friends, especially after a long separation, often late into the night”.
Where does 剪烛西窗 come from?
剪烛西窗 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 剪烛西窗?
原指思念远方妻子，盼望相聚夜语。后泛指亲友聚谈。