📖 Meaning
To try every possible means and exhaust all strategies to achieve a goal. It describes a determined and resourceful effort where someone leaves no stone unturned, using every method imaginable to accomplish something.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from Zhu Xi's 'Collected Commentaries on the Analects' (《朱子语类·论语十七》) during the Southern Song dynasty. Zhu Xi, the renowned Neo-Confucian philosopher, used the metaphor of catching a thief to illustrate diligent effort: one must summon all one's strength and spirit, and pursue the goal by every conceivable means. Over time, the phrase was shortened to '千方百计' and entered common usage as a set expression for exhaustive effort and resourcefulness.
💡 Example Usage
他千方百计想说服父母同意他出国留学。
He tried every possible way to convince his parents to let him study abroad.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 千方百计
- Pinyin: qiān fāng bǎi jì
- Literal Translation: thousand, methods, hundred, schemes
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4