expression, noun
precarious situation; in a very unstable state
Idiomatic expression likening a situation to a lamp flame flickering in the wind, about to go out. Used for things that are on the verge of collapse or extinction.
その会社の経営状態はまさに風前の灯火だ。
The company's financial situation is truly precarious.
戦争で彼の命は風前の灯火だった。
His life hung by a thread during the war.