Meaning:

    This is based on a line from the lyrics of “Understanding,” a 1994 song by Taiwanese singer Winnie Hsin. The original line is “啊多么痛的领悟” (Ah, what a hurtful understanding!). Chinese netizens jokingly add a few characters to the line to make it “啊多么痛的领悟你为什么用蜡烛滴我” (Ah, what a hurtful understanding! Why are you scorching me with burning candles?). Then the sentence is given a short form “啊痛悟蜡.” It’s often used when one expresses feelings of being hurt by a sad fact.

    Example:

    A: 你有女朋友吗？

    Nǐ yǒu nǚpéngyǒu ma?

    Do you have a girlfriend?

    B: 还没找到。女生都喜欢高富帅。

    Hái méi zhǎodào。Nǚshēng dōu xǐhuān gāofùshuài。

    I haven’t found one yet. All girls like those who are tall, handsome and rich.

    A: 你觉得青春是什么？

    Nǐ juédé qīngchūn shì shénme?

    How do you define youth?

    B: 长得好看的人才有青春，我只有大学。

    Zhǎng de hǎokàn de rén cái yǒu qīngchūn, wǒ zhǐyǒu dàxué。

    Those with good looks enjoy their youth. For me, it’s just college.

    A: 你说的不错。啊痛悟蜡。

    Nǐ shuō de bùcuò。Atòngwùlà。

    You are right. Sadly I can’t agree more.