📖 Meaning
Literally meaning to drill holes and seek out seams. It metaphorically describes someone trying every possible means to find an opportunity or opening. The idiom conveys a relentless, resourceful effort to uncover a way forward.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the modern novel Ziye (Midnight, 1933) by the renowned Chinese writer Mao Dun. In chapter eleven, Mao Dun writes that every person trading government bonds is drilling holes and seeking seams to spy out the tactics of a character called Old Zhao. In chapter sixteen, he describes a character whose seemingly frozen heart comes back to life, now able to devise plans and drill holes and seek seams to find connections and opportunities.
💡 Example Usage
为了争取到这个项目，他钻洞觅缝地四处打听消息。
In order to win this project, he tried every possible avenue to gather information from all sides.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 钻洞觅缝
- Pinyin: zuàn dòng mì féng
- Literal Translation: drill, hole, seek, seam
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4