雪上加霜
雪上加霜 (xuě shàng jiā shuāng) literally means “add frost on top of snow” and expresses “add insult to injury; make things worse”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy. It originates from ancient Chinese literature and remains commonly used in modern Mandarin.
Also searched as: xue shang jia shuang, xue shang jia shuang,雪上加霜 meaning, 雪上加霜 in english
Add insult to injury; make things worse
Pronunciation: xuě shàng jiā shuāng
Literal meaning: Add frost on top of snow
Origin & Usage
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.
Examples
English: "Losing his job when his car broke down was adding frost to snow."
Chinese: 车坏的时候又丢了工作，真是雪上加霜。
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 雪上加霜 mean in English?
雪上加霜 (xuě shàng jiā shuāng) literally translates to “Add frost on top of snow” and is used to express “Add insult to injury; make things worse”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 雪上加霜 used?
Situation: This idiom applies when describing situations involving add insult to injury; make things worse.
What is the pinyin for 雪上加霜?
The pinyin pronunciation for 雪上加霜 is “xuě shàng jiā shuāng”.