风烛残年（風燭殘年）　

◎ 风烛残年 fēngzhú-cánnián

[in one‘s declining years;at the flickering stage of one‘s life;have one foot in the grave;old and ailing is like a candle guttering in the wind] 风中之烛易灭。喻指老人的残年,不久于世

只这风烛残年,没的倒是眼泪倒回去,望肚子里流。——《儿女英雄传》