# 錦上添花
## Chinese

| | | brocade; embroidered work; bright | up; on; on topup; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up | to add; to increase; to replenish | flower; blossom; to spendflower; blossom; to spend; fancy pattern |
| trad. (錦上添花) | trad. (錦上添花) | 錦 | 上 | 添 | 花 |
| simp. (锦上添花) | simp. (锦上添花) | 锦 | 上 | 添 | 花 |
| Literally: “to add flowers to the brocade”. ||||||

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): jǐnshàngtiānhuā
    (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄣˇ ㄕㄤˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄏㄨㄚ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): gam$^2$ soeng$^6$ tim$^1$ faa$^1$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): kím-song-thiâm-fâ
    (Hailu, HRS): gim$^ˊ$ shong$^˖$ tiam$^ˋ$ fa$^ˋ$
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): gím-siōng-thiām-hoa / kím-siōng-thiam-hoa / gím-siōng-thiⁿ-hoe / gím-siāng-thiⁿ-hoe
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: jǐnshàngtiānhuā
*** Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄣˇ ㄕㄤˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄏㄨㄚ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: jǐnshàngtianhua
*** Wade–Giles: chin$^3$-shang$^4$-tʻien$^1$-hua$^1$
*** Yale: jǐn-shàng-tyān-hwā
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jiinshanqtianhua
*** Palladius: цзиньшантяньхуа (czinʹšantjanʹxua)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕin²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gam$^2$ soeng$^6$ tim$^1$ faa$^1$
*** Yale: gám seuhng tīm fā
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gam$^2$ soeng$^6$ tim$^1$ faa$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: gem$^2$ sêng$^6$ tim$^1$ fa$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /kɐm³⁵ sœːŋ²² tʰiːm⁵⁵ faː⁵⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kím-song-thiâm-fâ
*** Hakka Romanization System: gim$^ˋ$ song tiam$^ˊ$ fa$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: gim$^3$ song$^4$ tiam$^1$ fa$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /kim³¹ soŋ⁵⁵ tʰi̯am²⁴⁻¹¹ fa²⁴/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: gim$^ˊ$ shong$^˖$ tiam$^ˋ$ fa$^ˋ$
*** Sinological IPA: /kim²⁴⁻³³ ʃoŋ³³ tʰiam⁵³ fa⁵³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gím-siōng-thiām-hoa
*** Tâi-lô: gím-siōng-thiām-hua
*** Phofsit Daibuun: gymsioxngtiaxmhoaf
*** IPA (Taipei): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ tʰiam³³⁻¹¹ hua⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡim⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³⁻²¹ tʰiam³³⁻²¹ hua⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Xiamen): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ²²⁻²¹ tʰiam²²⁻²¹ hua⁴⁴/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kím-siōng-thiam-hoa
*** Tâi-lô: kím-siōng-thiam-hua
*** Phofsit Daibuun: kymsioxngtiamhoaf
*** IPA (Taipei): /kim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻³³ hua⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kim⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³⁻²¹ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻³³ hua⁴⁴/
** (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gím-siōng-thiⁿ-hoe
*** Tâi-lô: gím-siōng-thinn-hue
*** Phofsit Daibuun: gymsioxngtvi'hoef
*** IPA (Taipei): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ tʰĩ⁴⁴⁻³³ hue⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡim⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³⁻²¹ tʰĩ⁴⁴⁻³³ hue⁴⁴/
** (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gím-siāng-thiⁿ-hoe
*** Tâi-lô: gím-siāng-thinn-hue
*** Phofsit Daibuun: gymsiaxngtvi'hoef
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡim⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ³³⁻²¹ tʰĩ⁴⁴⁻³³ hue⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei): /ɡim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ³³⁻¹¹ tʰĩ⁴⁴⁻³³ hue⁴⁴/
* Middle Chinese: kimX dzyangH them xwae
Rime :
| Character | 錦 | 上 | 添 | 花 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 見 (28) | 常 (25) | 透 (6) | 曉 (32) |
| Final (韻) | 侵 (140) | 陽 (105) | 添 (157) | 麻 (99) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Departing (H) | Level (Ø) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open | Open | Closed |
| Division (等) | III | III | IV | II |
| Fanqie | 居飲切 | 時亮切 | 他兼切 | 呼瓜切 |
| Baxter | kimX | dzyangH | them | xwae |
| Reconstructions |||||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /kˠiɪm$^X$/ | /d͡ʑɨɐŋ$^H$/ | /tʰem/ | /hˠua/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /kᵚim$^X$/ | /d͡ʑiɐŋ$^H$/ | /tʰem/ | /hʷᵚa/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /kiem$^X$/ | /d͡ʑiɑŋ$^H$/ | /tʰɛm/ | /xua/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /kjim$^X$/ | /d͡ʑɨaŋ$^H$/ | /tʰɛm/ | /hwaɨ/ |
| Li Rong | /kjəm$^X$/ | /ʑiaŋ$^H$/ | /tʰem/ | /xua/ |
| Wang Li | /kĭĕm$^X$/ | /ʑĭaŋ$^H$/ | /tʰiem/ | /xwa/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ki̯əm$^X$/ | /ʑi̯aŋ$^H$/ | /tʰiem/ | /xwa/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | jǐn | shàng | tiān | huā |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | gam$^2$ | soeng$^6$ | tim$^1$ | faa$^1$ |

### Idiom

錦上添花
* to make perfection still more perfect
    From: 1942, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《在延安文藝座談會上的講話》 (Talks at the Yenan Forum on Literature and Art), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition
    Duìyú tāmen, dì yī bù xūyào hái bùshì “jǐnshàngtiānhuā”, érshì “xuězhōngsòngtàn”. [Pinyin]
    For them the prime need is not “more flowers on the brocade” but “fuel in snowy weather”.