📖 Meaning
A metaphor for something extremely brief and fleeting. It likens the transience of life and worldly affairs to the momentary spark struck from stone or the wavering flame of a lamp in the wind, emphasizing how quickly all things pass.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Buddhist text Wanshan Tonggui Ji (万善同归集), Volume 5, compiled by the Song dynasty monk Yongming Yanshou. The passage describes how impermanence is swift and all things shift with every passing thought, listing stone-fire, wind-lamp, flowing waves, fading light, dew, and lightning as metaphors that still cannot fully capture life's transience. It reflects the Buddhist teaching on the ephemeral nature of existence and the urgency of spiritual cultivation.
💡 Example Usage
人生如石火风灯，转眼便是百年。
Life is as fleeting as a stone spark or a wind-blown lamp; in the blink of an eye, a hundred years have passed.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 石火风灯
- Pinyin: shí huǒ fēng dēng
- Literal Translation: stone, fire, wind, lamp
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4