📖 Meaning
Literally meaning 'to add branches and leaves,' this idiom describes the act of adding supplementary details or embellishments to something already in place. It conveys the idea of continuously attaching extra elements, often making a story, description, or plan more elaborate than the original.
📜 Origin Story
No independent classical origin is recorded for this idiom, which is generally regarded as a variant of the better-documented '添枝接叶' (tiān zhī jiē yè). The underlying image—of a tree putting forth ever more branches and leaves—is rooted in the agrarian imagery common in classical Chinese writing. Related forms such as '添枝加叶' appear in Song-dynasty discourse, where scholars warned against over-embellishing the words of sages with extra commentary. As a later variation, it carries the same metaphor of ceaseless accretion.
💡 Example Usage
他讲故事时总喜欢添枝增叶，把简单的事说得天花乱坠。
He always loves to embellish when telling a story, embellishing a simple matter into something wildly exaggerated.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 添枝增叶
- Pinyin: tiān zhī zēng yè
- Literal Translation: add, branches, increase, leaves
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4