Thread: A relative proposition?

Cитуация еще чем была сложной: пена очаг обволакивала, но внутри-то был кислород, все горело, напоминая извержение вулкана - пена летела, и дажекапли металла...

Working with the previous phrase I find "еще чем" that I can't translate accuratеly. I think that its meaning is:
"The situation was difficult even by this:....." That's to say: "Cитуация ещë была сложной тем, что пена очаг обволакивала....."

The translation given in the book is:
What furthercomplicated the situation was that although the hotbed was enveloped in foam,there was still oxygen under the foam, and everything was burning. It lookedlike a volcano eruption - foam was flying and even drops of metal...
What do you think of it? Thank you.

"Cитуация еще чем была сложной : ..." = "What also (ещё) made the situation difficult was..."

I think the translation is OK.

My difficulty was with "чем" and if it was equivalent to "тем, что" пена очаг...Thank you.

Originally Posted by radomir

My difficulty was with "чем" and if it was equivalent to "тем, что" пена очаг...Thank you.

Here it is something like rhetoric question and then (after ":") an answer, with "тем, что" omitted.

Thank you.