雪上加霜 xuěshàng-jiāshuāng to make matters even worse
(idiom) to make matters even worse; to add insult to injury
How to remember 雪上加霜: 雪 snow + 上 above + 加 to add + 霜 frost = to make matters even worse.
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How it is used
- To make a bad situation worse - 'frost on top of snow' - 失业又生病，真是雪上加霜 (shīyè yòu shēngbìng, zhēnshi xuěshàng jiāshuāng) losing his job then falling ill - misfortune on top of misfortune.
- A vivid idiom for compounding hardship; the second blow lands on an already-cold situation.
- Contrast 锦上添花 (jǐnshàng tiānhuā, adding flowers to brocade - improving something already good), its opposite.