推波助澜 (tuī bō zhù lán) — to fan the flames; to exacerbate a situation

Definition

Literally 'push the waves and help the crest,' this idiom means to fan the flames or make a bad situation worse — always negative, unlike neutral 加油 ('cheer on').

idiom

to fan the flamesto exacerbate a situation

Examples

推波助澜，。
Tā zài shuāng fāng de máo dùn zhōng bú duàn tuī bō zhù lán, ràng shì qing biàn de gèng zāo.
He kept fanning the flames in the conflict between the two sides, making things worse.
推波助澜，。
Zhè xiē yáo yán tuī bō zhù lán, dǎo zhì le gèng dà de kǒng huāng.
These rumors fueled the fire, causing even greater panic.
，推波助澜。
Nǐ men yīng gāi tiáo jiě, ér bú shì tuī bō zhù lán.
You should mediate, not fan the flames.

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