膏火自煎
gāo​huǒ​zì​jiān

talent brings trouble

  • created sense approved 膏火自煎 · gāo​huǒ​zì​jiān · talent brings trouble — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    膏火自煎

    gāo​huǒ​zì​jiān

    talent brings trouble

    Refers to oil burning itself away to provide light; used as a metaphor for a person who invites misfortune or suffers harm because of their own talent or wealth.

    膏火 (literal) → 膏火 · gāo​huǒ · lamp oil 自 (literal) → 自 · zì · self 煎 (literal) → 煎 · jiān · to suffer

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense