抱薪救火

抱薪救火

1. to adopt a wrong method to save a situation and end up by making it worse

   • 止言以言，止事以事，譬猶揚堁而弭塵，抱薪而救火。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     止言以言，止事以事，譬犹扬堁而弭尘，抱薪而救火。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: Huainanzi, 2^nd century BCE

     Zhǐ yán yǐ yán, zhǐ shì yǐ shì, pì yóu yáng kè ér mǐ chén, bào xīn ér jiùhuǒ. [Pinyin]

     Use words to stop other people's gossip, and use actions to quell troubles, just like raising dust to quell it, or carrying firewood to put out a fire.

   • 且夫以地事秦譬猶抱薪救火，薪不盡，火不滅。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     且夫以地事秦譬犹抱薪救火，薪不尽，火不灭。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Qiě fú yǐ dì shì Qín pì yóu bàoxīnjiùhuǒ, xīn bùjìn, huǒ bùmiè. [Pinyin]

     Moreover, ceding land to Qin is like carrying firewood to put out a fire. The fire will not go out until the firewood is burned out.

• 火上澆油 / 火上浇油 (huǒshàngjiāoyóu)

• “抱薪救火”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.