One day, King Ping Gong of Jin said to his minister Shi Kuang, "I am over seventy years old. Though I am eager to study, I feel it is too late."
Shi Kuang replied, "Too late? Why not light a candle?"
Ping Gong said, "I am serious. How dare you make fun of me!"
"How dare I, a blind minister, make fun of Your Majesty?" said Shi Kuang. "I have heard that when a youth is fond of learning, he is like the rising sun—brilliant and full of promise. When a man in his prime is fond of learning, he is like the midday sun, with half the day still ahead. When an old man is fond of learning, he is like the flame of a candle. Though its light may be dim, it is far better than groping in the dark."
Hearing this, King Ping Gong said with pleasure, "How well you have put it!"