the pine and the cypress are the last to wither

the pine and the cypress are the last to wither

Pine and cypress wither after death, a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is s ō NGB ǎ IH ò UDI ā o, which refers to a person with lofty ideals struggling to the end in a difficult and dangerous environment, from the Analects of Confucius · Zihan.

The origin of Idioms

In the Analects of Confucius, Zihan said, "when the year is cold, then the pines and cypresses wither."

Idiom usage

Used to fight to the end. Only the public welfare awards are respected, and the rules are observed carefully. The pines and cypresses wither behind, and the storm is like a dark day. Yu Jing, Tang Dynasty

Analysis of Idioms

Synonym: carving after pine and cypress