雪中送炭
- Literal
- to send charcoal in the snow
- Figurative
- To lend a hand at the worst moment, when help is genuinely needed; aid that counts double because it arrives in time.
Where does 雪中送炭 come from?
There is no anecdote behind it that can be stated with confidence, but the image speaks for itself: in northern China charcoal was the fuel a household burned to get through the winter, and a poor house could not always afford it; showing up with a sack of it in the middle of a snowstorm means giving exactly what is missing, exactly when it is missing. A much-repeated saying sets it against 锦上添花, "embroidering flowers onto brocade": decorating what is already fine is easy; carrying charcoal through the snow is hard.
How is 雪中送炭 used? Two examples
- 我失业那几个月，他借钱给我，真是雪中送炭。
During the months I was out of work, he lent me money: that was real help exactly when I needed it.
- 公司最难的时候，这笔订单简直是雪中送炭。
At the company's toughest moment, that order was a lifeline arriving right when it was needed.
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