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火上浇油

huǒ shàng jiāo yóu

to add fuel to the flames

Character by character

火huǒ
fire
上shàng
on
浇jiāo
pour
油yóu
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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