火上浇油
huǒ shàng jiāo yóu
to add fuel to the flames
Character by character
火huǒ
fire
fire
上shàng
on
on
浇jiāo
pour
pour
油yóu
oil
oil
Example
他正在生气,你别火上浇油了。
He's already angry, so don't add fuel to the fire.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
Usually a warning; also said 火上加油.
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