紫玉成烟 — “The tragic and premature death of a beautiful young woman”

紫玉成烟 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the tragic and premature death of a beautiful young woman”. The fading away of a young life. Literally, “Purple jade turns into smoke”.

Frequency

紫玉成烟 Pronunciation and Pinyin

紫玉成烟 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
紫	zǐ	12	purple color
玉	yù	5	jade, precious, beautiful
成	chéng	7	to become or succeed
烟	yān	10	smoke, tobacco, mist

Example Sentence with 紫玉成烟

那位才华横溢的少女，在最美的年纪却如紫玉成烟，令人扼腕叹息。

That talented young girl, at the prime of her life, faded like purple jade into smoke, leaving everyone with deep regret.

Origin and Story of 紫玉成烟

During the Spring and Autumn period, Ziyu, the daughter of King Fuchai of Wu, passed away from grief because she was unable to marry Han Chong, whom she loved.

When Han Chong returned from his studies and came to mourn her, Ziyu's spirit materialized and presented him with a luminous pearl.

Upon hearing that Han Chong possessed such a pearl, King Fuchai suspected him of grave robbing and ordered his arrest. To exonerate Han Chong, Ziyu's spirit appeared before her father and explained the true circumstances.

When her mother, the queen, heard of Ziyu's return and attempted to embrace her, Ziyu instantly transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished.