風ふう前ぜんの灯ともし火び

ふ

う

ぜ

ん

の

と

も

し

び

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

expression, noun

precarious situation; in a very unstable state

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression likening a situation to a lamp flame flickering in the wind, about to go out. Used for things that are on the verge of collapse or extinction.

その会かい社しゃの経けい営えい状じょう態たいはまさに風ふう前ぜんの灯ともし火びだ。
The company's financial situation is truly precarious.
戦せん争そうで彼かれの命いのちは風ふう前ぜんの灯ともし火びだった。
His life hung by a thread during the war.

See all 7 example sentences ›

Kanji

風wind, air, style
前in front, before
灯lamp, a light, light
火fire
之of, this

Related words

風ふう前ぜんの灯ともしび
Same meaning; a shorter variant of 風前の灯火.
危き機き一いっ髪ぱつ
Means 'a close call' or 'by a hair's breadth', focusing on a narrow escape from danger rather than a prolonged precarious state.
絶ぜっ体たい絶ぜつ命めい
Describes a desperate, hopeless situation with no way out, stronger than 風前の灯火.

Built from

風ふう前ぜん+灯ひ

Written forms

風ふう前ぜんの灯ともし火び
Standard kanji form; 灯火 is the usual spelling for ともしび in this idiom.
風ふう前ぜんの灯ともしび
Variant using 灯 alone; less common but still encountered.
風ふう前ぜんのともしび
Kana spelling for 灯火; used when the kanji is avoided or for clarity.
風ふう前ぜんのともし火び
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; rarely used.
風ふう前ぜん之の灯ともしび
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 之 instead of の.

Etymology

Literally 'a lamp before the wind'. The image of a flame about to be extinguished by the wind is used metaphorically for a precarious state. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a classical Chinese-derived expression.