死灰復燃

From Shiji（《史記•韓長孺列傳》）:

其後安國坐法抵罪，蒙獄吏田甲辱安國。安國曰：“死灰獨不復然乎？”田甲曰：“然即溺之。”居無何，梁内史缺，漢使使者拜安國為梁内史，起徒中，為二千石。田甲亡走。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]

---

其后安国坐法抵罪，蒙狱吏田甲辱安国。安国曰：“死灰独不复然乎？”田甲曰：“然即溺之。”居无何，梁内史缺，汉使使者拜安国为梁内史，起徒中，为二千石。田甲亡走。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

Qíhòu Ānguó zuòfǎ dǐzuì, méng yùlì Tián Jiǎ rǔ Ānguó. Ānguó yuē: “Sǐhuī dú bù fù rán hū?” Tián Jiǎ yuē: “Rán jí niào zhī.” Jū wúhé, Liáng nèishǐ quē, Hàn shǐ shǐzhě bài Ānguó wéi Liáng nèishǐ, qǐ tú zhōng, wéi èrqiān shí. Tián Jiǎ wángzǒu. [Pinyin]

Later [Han] Anguo was tried under the law and sentenced to prison, where he was humiliated by Tian Jia, a prison guard. Anguo said: “Won't the ashes of a dead fire burn once again?” Tian Jia answered: “Should they burn, I'll piss on them.” Not long after, the post of the clerk of the capital of Liang fell vacant. The Han court sent an envoy to appoint Anguo as the [new] clerk of the capital of Liang, raised him from among convicts, and designated him to a post of official ranking 2000 shi. Tian Jia ran and fled the state.

然 (rán) is a 通假字 (tōngjiǎzì, “phonetic loan character”), meaning the same as 燃.

死灰復燃

1. (figurative) to revive; to resurge; to be renascent