越演越烈

yuèyǎn-yuèliè
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to intensify; to escalate
  2. 2 to be getting worse and worse
  3. 3 to start to run rampant

Examples

HSK 7-9
Liǎng guó zhījiān de màoyìzhàn yuèyǎn-yuèliè.
The trade war between the two countries is escalating.
HSK 7-9
Wǎngshàng de zhēnglùn yuèyǎn-yuèliè, yǐjīng chǎo dào le rénshēn gōngjī de dìbù.
The online argument has been escalating, to the point of personal attacks.

Tips

grammar
Pattern: … ('the more X, the more Y'). Here means 'to develop / unfold' (not 'to perform') and means 'intense'. So literally 'the more it develops, the more intense' - used for negative situations spiraling out of control.
mistakes
Often confused with the lookalike 愈演愈烈, which means the same thing - / are interchangeable here. Both forms are widely accepted; 愈演愈烈 is slightly more literary.

Stroke Order

yuè
yǎn
liè