他已经很累了，你又批评他，真是雪上加霜。
He was already exhausted, and your criticism made it even worse.
Daily Chengyu
雪上加霜
To make a bad situation even worse.
Literal Meaning: Add frost on top of snow.
雪snow
上on top
加add
霜frost
Today's Situation
You lose your wallet the same day your flight gets cancelled.
Perfect Chengyu: 雪上加霜
Actual Meaning
Use when misfortune piles onto existing hardship. It emphasizes timing — the new problem hits when you are already struggling.
Emotional toneSympathetic or frustrated
Usage feelNeutral in tone
FormalityNeutral
English Equivalent
- Add insult to injury.
- When it rains, it pours.
- Out of the frying pan...
English equivalents capture the general idea, but they may not fit every context exactly.
Modern Usage Example
Losing the client right after the server crashed was 雪上加霜.
Chinese Example Sentences
失业后又生病，简直是雪上加霜。
Getting sick after losing a job was adding frost to snow.
Origin Story
The image is direct: snow is already cold and harsh; frost on top makes it worse. The phrase became a metaphor for compounded misfortune.
When Natives Use It
Good fit
- Personal setbacks
- News commentary
- Comforting friends
Avoid
- Celebrating small wins
- Neutral factual reporting
Very common in speech and writing. Often used with sympathy rather than blame.
- Common in speech
- Common in writing
- Sounds natural today
- Possible but uncommon in casual chat
- More common in writing or commentary
- Use with care — can sound critical
Similar and Opposite Chengyu
Daily Quiz
Which situation best matches 雪上加霜?
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