火上浇油 huǒ shàng jiāo yóu add fuel to the fire

Explanation

比喻使事态恶化，使冲突或矛盾更加严重。

A metaphor for making the situation worse, making conflicts or contradictions more serious.

Origin Story

从前，在一个小山村里，住着一位老农，他辛勤劳作，种了一片美丽的稻田。丰收在即，稻田金灿灿一片，煞是好看。然而，一场突如其来的大火却烧毁了村边的一片树林。火势凶猛，眼看着就要蔓延到老农的稻田。这时，村里的年轻人有的提水灭火，有的砍树隔离火源。但村里有个爱嚼舌根的老妇人，见此情景，却非但不帮忙，反而添油加醋，说：“这下完了，老农的稻田也保不住了！”她还故意从附近的水井里挑来一桶水，朝燃烧的树林泼去，结果水被蒸发，火势更旺了。众人见状都斥责老妇人的行为是火上浇油，害人害己。最终，大家齐心协力，总算将大火扑灭，保住了老农的稻田。这场大火让村民们深刻认识到，在危急时刻，互相帮助才能渡过难关，而火上浇油只会加剧灾难。

cóngqián, zài yīgè xiǎoshān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi lǎ nóng, tā xīnqín láozuò, zhòng le yī piàn měilì de dàotián. fēngshōu zài jí, dàotián jīn càncàn yī piàn, shà shì hǎokàn. rán'ér, yī cháng tū rú qí lái de dàhuǒ què shāo huǐ le cūn biān de yī piàn shùlín. huǒshì xiōngměng, yǎn kànzhe jiù yào manyán dào lǎo nóng de dàotián. zhè shí, cūn lǐ de nián qīng rén yǒude tí shuǐ miè huǒ, yǒude kǎn shù gélí huǒ yuán. dàn cūn lǐ yǒu gè ài jiáo shé gēn de lǎofùrén, jiàn cǐ qíngjǐng, què fēi bù dānbāng, fǎn'ér tiānyóujiācù, shuō：‘zhè xià wán le, lǎo nóng de dàotián yě bǎo bu zhù le！’ tā hái gùyì cóng fùjìn de shuǐ jǐng lǐ tiāo lái yī tǒng shuǐ, cháo rán shāo de shùlín pō qù, jiéguǒ shuǐ bèi zhēngfā, huǒshì gèng wàng le. zhòngrén jiàn zhàng dōu chìzé lǎofùrén de xíngwéi shì huǒ shàng jiāo yóu, hài rén hài jǐ. zuìzhōng, dàjiā qíxīn xiélì, zǒngsuàn jiāng dàhuǒ pū miè, bǎo zhù le lǎo nóng de dàotián. zhè chǎng dàhuǒ ràng cūnmínmen shēnkè rènshí dào, zài wēijí shíkè, hùxiāng bāngzhù cáinéng dù guò nánguān, ér huǒ shàng jiāo yóu zhǐ huì jiā jù zāinàn.

Once upon a time, in a small mountain village, there lived an old farmer who worked diligently and cultivated a beautiful paddy field. The harvest was imminent, and the paddy field was a golden, beautiful sight. However, a sudden fire destroyed a forest near the village. The fire was fierce and threatened to spread to the old farmer's paddy field. At this moment, some young people in the village helped put out the fire, while others chopped trees to isolate the fire source. But an old woman in the village who liked to gossip not only didn't help but also added fuel to the fire, saying: "It's all over, the old farmer's paddy field can't be saved!" She even deliberately fetched a bucket of water from a nearby well and poured it into the burning forest, but the water evaporated and the fire became even stronger. Seeing this, everyone scolded the old woman for adding fuel to the fire and harming others and herself. Finally, everyone worked together and managed to extinguish the fire, saving the old farmer's paddy field. This fire made the villagers deeply understand that mutual help in times of crisis is essential, while adding fuel to the fire will only exacerbate the disaster.

Usage

用于形容故意使矛盾或冲突加剧的行为。

yòng yú xíngróng gùyì shǐ máodùn huò chōngtú jiājù de xíngwéi

Used to describe the deliberate act of exacerbating conflict or contradictions.

Examples

• 他总是火上浇油，让矛盾更加激化。

  tā zǒngshì huǒ shàng jiāo yóu, ràng máodùn gèngjiā jīhuà

  He always adds fuel to the fire, making the conflict more intense.

• 这件事已经够糟糕了，你还要火上浇油吗？

  zhè jiàn shì qíng yǐjīng gòu zāogāo le, nǐ hái yào huǒ shàng jiāo yóu ma

  Things are bad enough already, do you have to add fuel to the fire?

Related Idioms

• 推波助澜

• 煽风点火

Opposite Idioms

• 釜底抽薪

• 雪中送炭