雪上加霜

النطق: xuě shàng jiā shuāng المعنى الحرفي: Add frost on top of snow

الأصل والاستخدام

This idiom describes adding (加) frost (霜) on top of (上) snow (雪). Both snow and frost are cold, so adding frost to snow intensifies an already difficult situation. The phrase vividly captures the compounding of misfortunes. It appeared in Song Dynasty poetry describing accumulated hardships. Modern usage describes situations where problems pile up, or when new difficulties arrive during already challenging times, emphasizing the cumulative weight of troubles.

أمثلة

الإنجليزية: "Losing his job when his car broke down was adding frost to snow."

الصينية: 车坏的时候又丢了工作，真是雪上加霜。