锦上添花
锦上添花 (jǐn shàng tiān huā) literally means “add flowers to brocade” and expresses “enhance existing beauty”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: jin shang tian hua, jin shang tian hua,锦上添花 meaning, 锦上添花 in english
Enhance existing beauty
Pronunciation: jǐn shàng tiān huā Literal meaning: Add flowers to brocade
Origin & Usage
Adding flowers (添花) onto brocade (锦上), which is already patterned with them. Song poets used the image, and its whole force comes from the phrase Chinese sets against it: 雪中送炭, carrying charcoal to someone in the snow. One is help that arrives when it changes nothing, the other help that arrives when it changes everything. Because the pairing is so well established, 锦上添花 is rarely neutral — describing a gesture that way quietly notes that the giver waited until the recipient no longer needed them.
Examples
English: "The new features in the app are just the icing on the cake."
Chinese: 这个应用程序的新功能简直是锦上添花。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
画蛇添足
huà shé tiān zú
Ruin by adding extras
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锦囊妙计
jǐn náng miào jì
Prepared clever strategy
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前程似锦
qián chéng sì jǐn
May your future be bright and splendid
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如虎添翼
rú hǔ tiān yì
Add to one's strength; become even more powerful
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树上开花
shù shàng kāi huā
Create favorable illusion
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落落大方
luò luò dà fāng
Confident and charming
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倾国倾城
qīng guó qīng chéng
Unparalleled beauty
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借花献佛
jiè huā xiàn fó
Make a gift of something that isn't yours
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 锦上添花 mean in English?
锦上添花 (jǐn shàng tiān huā) literally translates to “Add flowers to brocade” and is used to express “Enhance existing beauty”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 锦上添花 used?
Situation: The new features in the app are just the icing on the cake.
What is the pinyin for 锦上添花?
The pinyin pronunciation for 锦上添花 is “jǐn shàng tiān huā”.