📖 Meaning
Literally to pull up a tree's roots and dam up a water source. It metaphorically means to eliminate a problem by attacking its fundamental root cause rather than merely treating its symptoms. The phrase emphasizes thorough, foundational prevention and eradication of harm.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传), in the record of the ninth year of Duke Zhao (Spring and Autumn period). The King of Zhou rebukes a powerful noble, warning that if he were to destroy the crown and uproot the very foundations of order—abandoning those who offer wise counsel—even the barbarian tribes would have nothing to fear from the king. The imagery of pulling up roots and blocking the source was used to condemn the destruction of fundamental principles. Over time it evolved into an idiom for addressing problems at their deepest root.
💡 Example Usage
要彻底根除腐败，必须采取拔本塞源的举措。
To thoroughly eradicate corruption, one must adopt measures that strike at its very root.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 拔本塞源
- Pinyin: bá běn sè yuán
- Literal Translation: pull up root, block source
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4