风烛残年 fēngzhúcánnián declining years Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 风烛 風燭 fēngzhú old and ailing (idiom) literally a candle in the wind; used to describe an elderly person in poor health or at death's door残年 殘年 cánnián declining years The evening of life or one's remaining years, often implying a sense of frailty or hardship