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以火止沸
以火止沸
以火止沸
以火止沸
以火止沸
以火止沸
以火止沸
以火止沸
以火止沸
以火止沸

以火止沸 — “To stop boiling with fire”

以火止沸 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to adopt an ineffective or counterproductive method that exacerbates a problem rather than resolving it; to make a bad situation worse”. Literally, “To stop boiling with fire”.

Frequency

以火止沸 Pronunciation and Pinyin

以火止沸 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
以
yǐ5by means of
火
huǒ4fire, urgent, popular
止
zhǐ4to stop
沸
fèi8boil, effervesce, agitated

Example Sentence with 以火止沸

面对市场竞争的加剧,如果只是一味地降价,无异于以火止沸,无法从根本上解决问题。
Facing intensified market competition, simply cutting prices is like trying to stop boiling water with fire; it cannot fundamentally solve the problem.

Idioms Related to 以火止沸

Synonyms of 以火止沸

  • yǐ以tāng汤zhǐ止fèi沸address symptoms, not root cause
  • yǐ以tāng汤wò沃fèi沸Exacerbate a problem with the wrong solution

More idioms starting with 以

  • yǐ以yī一jǐng儆bǎi百punish one to warn many
  • yǐ以yī一fèng奉bǎi百one producer supports a hundred consumers
  • yǐ以yī一dāng当shí十fight with the strength of ten men
  • yǐ以yī一dāng当bǎi百one person effective as a hundred
  • yǐ以yī一chí持wàn万Grasp key to control the whole
  • yǐ以yī一zhī知wàn万infer many from one
  • yǐ以yī一jǐng警bǎi百punish one to warn many
  • yǐ以yī一yù驭wàn万Control many by grasping the fundamental
  • yǐ以bù不biàn变yìng应wàn万biàn变respond to change with no change
  • yǐ以fǒu不jì济kě可help succeed by negating incorrect ideas
  • yǐ以fēng丰bǔ补qiàn歉save in times of plenty for scarcity
  • yǐ以wéi为kǒu口shí实provide material for criticism

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Questions about 以火止沸

What does 以火止沸 mean?

以火止沸 (yǐ huǒ zhǐ fèi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to adopt an ineffective or counterproductive method that exacerbates a problem rather than resolving it; to make a bad situation worse”.

How do you pronounce 以火止沸?

以火止沸 is pronounced yǐ huǒ zhǐ fèi in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 以火止沸 literally mean?

Literally, 以火止沸 means “to stop boiling with fire”. It is used to mean “to adopt an ineffective or counterproductive method that exacerbates a problem rather than resolving it; to make a bad situation worse”.

What is the Chinese definition of 以火止沸?

比喻处理方法不对,不但不能制止,反而助长已成的气势。同“以汤止沸”。

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