# The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long



## kataya

I was wondering if there was a proverb with meaning similar to this one in English:

"The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long."

If I were to try it out I would say something like:

最明的蜡烛也是焚得最快耗尽的

This seems a little too long though, and I probably made some errors in my translation. Can anyone give me a better idea?


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## Jerry Chan

Maybe 細水長流 (a small stream runs long/steady) carries a similar meaning. I'm not sure.


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## snooprun

细水长流 may be correct ，but 自古英雄出少年 is anoher alternative as well. This passage http://www.sanjosekenpo.com/umbrandonlee.pdf was my translation based on, a passage concerning Brandom Lee described his chrisma, keen focus and determination.


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## Lamb67

自古英雄出少年? Isn't it a bit far-stretched? Because OP has a tragic tone, hasn't it?


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## snooprun

Sorry, but 自古英雄出少年 is the best version that comes to me so far.  PS；OP means what?


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## Lamb67

OP - original post.

枪打出头鸟 是我的想法。


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## snooprun

Exactly as what I had thought before reading this passage(http://www.sanjosekenpo.com/umbrandonlee.pdf ) which used that sentence as the title of a chapter, but I gave a second thought after reading, I suggest you should look at it as well.


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## BODYholic

kataya said:


> "The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long."


事难两全
鱼与熊掌不可兼得


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## snooprun

BODYholic said:


> 事难两全
> 鱼与熊掌不可兼得


 That should be a recommended version, so how did you get that?


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## Ghabi

kataya said:


> If I were to try it out I would say something like:
> 
> 最明的蜡烛也是焚得最快耗尽的


If you want to make it look like a four-word idiom, you may say something like:   炯烛易灭.


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## snooprun

Ghabi said:


> If you want to make it look like a four-word idiom, you may say something like: 炯烛易灭.


 Nice try Ghabi, but nowhere could I find this idiom on Baidu or Google, I therefore suggest you should rethink about it.


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## viajero_canjeado

Ghabi doesn't appear to be suggesting that this is an established idiom, I believe he came up with that himself - hence the "if you want to make it look like an idiom..."


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## BODYholic

snooprun said:


> Nice try Ghabi, but nowhere could I find this idiom on Baidu or Google, I therefore suggest you should rethink about it.



It's not an idiom or proverb. It just means bright(炯) candle(烛) extinguished(灭) easily(易).

In the same light, 事难两全 is also not a proverb/an idiom.


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## Ghabi

@Snooprun: Although the usage depends on the context, the English saying has, to use Lamb's word in Post#4, a "tragic" connotation.

We often say a talent "burns out". Say, a basketball player has a great rookie season, averging 40 points and 20 rebounds per game. Good things don't last forever, though. He limps off the court in a game during his second season and is forced to retire. In this case you may say, "The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long... (sigh)".

You can use this proverb as a warning, too. For example, a friend of yours is the "work hard, play hard" type and hardly sleeps three hours per day. Thus you warn him, "The candle that burns twice as bright ...", meaning his epicurean way of living can be detrimental to his health.

In any case, I think your suggestion (自古英雄出少年) doesn't fit the bill.

@ OP: I think Jerry's suggestion (細水長流) captures the meaning best. As to Lamb's (枪打出头鸟 or, in classical Chinese you can read "木秀于林,风必摧之;堆出于岸,流必湍之"), that is more like "jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius", and Bodyholic's (鱼与熊掌不可兼得) is more like "you can't have your cake and eat it".


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## snooprun

viajero_canjeado said:


> Ghabi doesn't appear to be suggesting that this is an established idiom, I believe he came up with that himself - hence the "if you want to make it look like an idiom..."


Yes,I totally understand, but in my defense, the end of E-C translation is to impart the meanings of those English words, their Chinese translations thus should be received ones, or at least be known to the general public.


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## snooprun

Ghabi said:


> @Snooprun: Although the usage depends on the context, the English saying has, to use Lamb's word in Post#4, a "tragic" connotation.
> 
> We often say a talent "burns out". Say, a basketball player has a great rookie season, averging 40 points and 20 rebounds per game. Good things don't last forever, though. He limps off the court in a game during his second season and is forced to retire. In this case you may say, "The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long... (sigh)".
> 
> You can use this proverb as a warning, too. For example, a friend of yours is the "work hard, play hard" type and hardly sleeps three hours per day. Thus you warn him, "The candle that burns twice as bright ...", meaning his epicurean way of living can be detrimental to his health.
> 
> In any case, I think your suggestion (自古英雄出少年) doesn't fit the bill.
> 
> @ OP: I think Jerry's suggestion (細水長流) captures the meaning best. As to Lamb's (枪打出头鸟 or, in classical Chinese you can read "木秀于林,风必摧之;堆出于岸,流必湍之"), that is more like "jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius", and Bodyholic's (鱼与熊掌不可兼得) is more like "you can't have your cake and eat it".


 I agree with you, indeed 细水长流 is a preferred one, as does 鱼与熊掌不可兼得。


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## BODYholic

Perhaps it's due to regional difference, I don't see how 细水长流 correlates with the subject. 感觉上有点风马牛。

Also, I like to correct that '鱼与熊掌不可兼得' (may not be the perfect choice), it doesn't mean that one can't have a cake and eat it. On the contrary, you are given a choice of 2 cakes (or whatever) but you can only pick one (of which you are definitely allowed to eat it).

Our subject is a tricky situation. One can either have a bright burning light at the expense of lifespan or a dim fire that burns longer. 想要两全其美，就好比又要马儿好又要马儿不吃草。难。


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## Jerry Chan

BODYholic said:


> Perhaps it's due to regional difference, I don't see how 细水长流 correlates with the subject. 感觉上有点风马牛。
> 
> Also, I like to correct that '鱼与熊掌不可兼得' (may not be the perfect choice), it doesn't mean that one can't have a cake and eat it. On the contrary, you are given a choice of 2 cakes (or whatever) but you can only pick one (of which you are definitely allowed to eat it).
> 
> Our subject is a tricky situation. One can either have a bright burning light at the expense of lifespan or a dim fire that burns longer. 想要两全其美，就好比又要马儿好又要马儿不吃草。难。



It is not irrelavent.
It depends on the context and how you interpret it.

If you interpret it the way Ghabi suggested (which I did when I saw this post), 細水長流 does make sense.

The proverb describes the bad of being very bright (burning out fast), while 細水長流 stresses the good of NOT being so bright (lasting longer).


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