Chinese idiom 成语 1 火上浇油 huǒ shàng jiāo yóu "火上浇油" literally means to add fuel to the fire. You can use it to describe when you do or say something that makes a miserable situation even worse or makes a situation or conflict intensify. For example: 1. 别把这事告诉她，你只会火上浇油。 bié bǎ zhè shì gào sù tā , nǐ zhǐ huì huǒ shàng jiāo yóu . Don't tell her that ─ you'll only make things worse. 2. 你应制止他们的争论，不要火上浇油。 nǐ yìng zhì zhǐ tā men de zhēng lùn , bú yào huǒ shàng jiāo yóu . You should stop their quarrel. Don't add fuel to the fire. 3. 如果老板来的时候很生气，你就先别告诉他那些客户投诉，否则你就是火上浇油。 rú guǒ lǎo bǎn lái de shí hòu hěn shēng qì , nǐ jiù xiān bié gào sù tā nèi xiē kè hù tóu sù , fǒu zé nǐ jiù shì huǒ shàng jiāo yóu . If the boss is angry when he comes in, don't tell him about all the customer complaints. You'll just be adding fuel to the fire.