📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a beautiful woman becoming thin and haggard, losing her former grace and vitality. It uses jade and fragrance as metaphors for feminine beauty, which diminishes like a fading flower.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Yuan dynasty, specifically from a suite of songs titled 'Ji Xian Bin: Lament of Parting' by the playwright Gao Shi. The line describes a woman who, during these times of separation, has grown thin and lost her beauty while falling ill, left alone in cold loneliness. It became a poetic expression for a woman wasting away from sorrow or longing.
💡 Example Usage
自丈夫出征后，她日夜思念，渐渐玉减香消，令人心疼。
Since her husband went off to war, she has pined for him day and night, gradually wasting away until she is a mere shadow of her former self.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 玉减香消
- Pinyin: yù jiǎn xiāng xiāo
- Literal Translation: jade, diminish, fragrance, fade
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4