雪中送炭 — “To provide timely help or relief to someone in dire need”
雪中送炭 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to provide timely help or relief to someone in dire need”. To offer crucial assistance in one's hour of difficulty, like sending charcoal in snowy weather. Literally, “send charcoal in the snow”.
雪中送炭 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 雪xuě
- 中zhōng
- 送sòng
- 炭tàn
雪中送炭 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 雪中送炭
Origin and Story of 雪中送炭
The idiom "Xue Zhong Song Tan" originated from a poem by Fan Chengda (范成大), a renowned poet of the Southern Song Dynasty. Fan Chengda was famous for his numerous popular poems. In his later years, he retired to his hometown of Shihu, adopting the pen name 'Shihu Jushi' (Lay Buddhist of Stone Lake). His collected works were compiled into "Shihu Jushi Shiji" (Collected Poems of Shihu Jushi). Among them is a poem titled "Da Xue Song Tan Yu Jie Yin" (Sending Charcoal in Heavy Snow to Jie Yin).
This poem contains the lines: "不是雪中须送炭，聊装风景要诗来。" which translates to, "It's not that charcoal must be sent in the snow; rather, it's merely to adorn the scene and invite a poem."
Although the poem initially used the imagery to describe an artistic gesture, the phrase "雪中送炭" later evolved into an idiom that vividly describes providing timely and essential material or spiritual assistance to someone in dire need, much like offering charcoal for warmth during a snowstorm.
Idioms Related to 雪中送炭
Synonyms of 雪中送炭
Antonyms of 雪中送炭
More idioms starting with 雪
- xuě雪shàng上jiā加shuāng霜make an already bad situation worse
- xuě雪zhōng中gāo高shì士noble recluse enduring hardship with grace
- xuě雪zhōng中hóng鸿zhǎo爪past traces or impressions
- xuě雪zhào兆fēng丰nián年Snow portends a bumper harvest
- xuě雪běi北xiāng香nán南contrasting beauty of north and south
- xuě雪yā压shuāng霜qī欺endure great hardship and oppression
- xuě雪tiān天yíng萤xí席study diligently despite hardship
- xuě雪hèn恨xiāo消zāi灾avenge a grievance and avert disaster
- xuě雪cāo操bīng冰xīn心pure and noble character
- xuě雪yuè月fēng风huā花beautiful scenery and romantic affairs
- xuě雪àn案yíng萤dēng灯study diligently despite hardship
- xuě雪àn案yíng萤chuāng窗study diligently under difficult circumstances
Questions about 雪中送炭
- What does 雪中送炭 mean?
- 雪中送炭 (xuě zhōng sòng tàn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to provide timely help or relief to someone in dire need”.
- How do you pronounce 雪中送炭?
- 雪中送炭 is pronounced xuě zhōng sòng tàn in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 雪中送炭 literally mean?
- Literally, 雪中送炭 means “send charcoal in the snow”. It is used to mean “to provide timely help or relief to someone in dire need”.
- Where does 雪中送炭 come from?
- 雪中送炭 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 雪中送炭?
- 在下雪天给人送炭取暖。比喻在别人急需时给以物质上或精神上的帮助。