锦上添花 (jǐnshàngtiānhuā) · to make a good thing even better

锦上添花 (jǐnshàngtiānhuā) means “to make a good thing even better”. It is written with 4 characters: 锦 (brocade) + 上 (on) + 添 (to add) + 花 (flower). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).

How 锦上添花 is built

The characters

锦 jǐn · brocade

What 锦 is made of

钅jīn — metal
帛bó — silk
- 白bái — white
  - 日rì — sun; day
- 巾jīn — cloth
  - 冂 — frame
  - 丨 — vertical stroke

上 shàng · on

What 上 is made of

⺊ — structural part
- 丨 — vertical stroke
一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: One stroke on top of another; compare 下 (below) (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

添 tiān · to add

What 添 is made of

氵shuǐ — water
忝tiǎn — shame
- 天tiān — sky
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 大dà — big
- ⺗ — heart

花 huā · flower

What 花 is made of

艹cǎo — grass
化huà — to change
- 亻rén — person
- 匕bǐ — spoon
  - 乚 — hook stroke
  - 丿 — falling stroke

Origin hint: A flower 艹 in bloom 化; 化 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

你的帮助真是锦上添花。Nǐ de bāngzhù zhēnshì jǐnshàngtiānhuā.Your help makes a good thing even better.

这道菜已经很好了，加点香菜就是锦上添花。Zhè dào cài yǐjīng hěn hǎo le, jiā diǎn xiāngcài jiù shì jǐnshàngtiānhuā.This dish is already great; a little cilantro makes it even better.

Questions about 锦上添花

What does 锦上添花 mean?

锦上添花 (jǐnshàngtiānhuā) means “to make a good thing even better”.

How do you pronounce 锦上添花?

锦上添花 is pronounced jǐnshàngtiānhuā.

Which HSK level is 锦上添花?

锦上添花 is in Old HSK 6.

Related words

Learn 锦上添花 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 97: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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