A: I seldom heard the quarreling of her children.

我很少听见她的孩子吵架。

B: Why do you say that?

你为何这么说？

A: Because her children have been the age when they seem to quarrel all day long.

因为她的孩子正值整天要吵架的年龄。

B: Oh, I see. She told me that she had learned very quickly how to pour oil on troubled water, but not to pour oil on the flame.

哦，我明白了。她告诉我学会了一套调停争端的本事，而不是让事情进一步发展。

A: She is a cleaver mother.

她真是个聪明的妈妈。

地道表达：

pour oil on the flame

解词释义：

此语的字面意思是“把油浇在火焰上”，把油浇在火焰上，会使得火更大，更旺。因此，用之比喻“使怒气更盛”，“使争吵更加激烈”，“使事情更加糟糕”，我们中文中说的“火上加油”也正是这个英文表达。也可以用作pour the oil on the flames。

支持范例：

It poured the oil on the flame to him to be told that he was reaping the consequences.

说他自食其果，更是火上加油。

They poured the oil in secret, prompting me to revenge.

他们暗地里火上加油，激励我报复。

She is more than irritated now, don't pour oil on the flame!

她现在已火冒三丈了，别再火上加油了！

同类表达：

stir the coals/blow the coals

词海拾贝：

1. pour oil on the trouble water：平息风波，息事宁人

范例：If you see two people quarreling, you should try to pour oil on the trouble water, not add furl to the flames.

如果你看到两个人正在吵架，你应当尽力排解纠纷，而不是火上加油。

2. all day long：整天

范例：He nagged (at) her all day long.

他一天到晚地说她。

Rain fell from the heavens all day long.

整天都下着雨。

Doing anything all day long will come to nothing but get us bored.

整天做一件事只会把人弄烦。

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