添油加醋 embellish
Explanation
比喻叙述事情或转述别人的话，为了夸大，添上原来没有的内容。
It means to exaggerate a story or statement by adding details that are not true.
Origin Story
从前，村子里来了个说书人，他讲的故事总是引人入胜。但他为了吸引更多的人，常常在故事里添油加醋。比如，他讲白娘子故事时，会说白娘子法力无边，能呼风唤雨，甚至能操控时间。他还说许仙不是一个普通的书生，而是一个隐世高手，白娘子为了寻找他历尽千辛万苦。听众们听得津津有味，都被他精彩的描述所吸引，却不知这些都是他添油加醋的结果。一次，一个老秀才听了他的故事后，笑着说：“你的故事很好听，但也太夸张了，有些内容完全是编造的。故事的精髓在于真实，而不是虚构。”说书人这才意识到自己的错误，决定以后不再添油加醋，踏踏实实地讲故事。
Once upon a time, there was a storyteller in a village, whose stories were always captivating. But to attract more people, he often added extra details to his stories. For example, when he told the story of the White Snake, he would say that the White Snake had boundless magic power, could summon wind and rain, and even manipulate time. He also said that Xu Xian was not an ordinary scholar, but a hidden master, and the White Snake went through many hardships to find him. The audience listened with relish, attracted by his vivid descriptions, but they didn't know that these were all the result of his embellishments. Once, after listening to his story, an old scholar said with a smile: "Your story is very nice, but it is also too exaggerated. Some of the content is entirely fabricated. The essence of the story lies in truth, not fiction." The storyteller realized his mistake and decided not to add extra details any more, and to tell stories honestly.
Usage
主要用来形容说话或写作时夸大其词，添加虚假内容。
Mainly used to describe exaggerating when speaking or writing, adding false information.
Examples
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不要添油加醋，实话实说。
buya tian you jia cu, shihua shishuo.
Don't exaggerate, just tell the truth.
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他添油加醋地把事情说了一遍。
ta tian you jia cu de ba shiqing shuo le yi bian
He embellished the story.