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千方百计

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: qiān fāng bǎi jì
  • English Translation: By every possible means / To leave no stone unturned
  • Idiom Composition: Thousand; used metaphorically to mean 'many' or 'numerous'.Method, way, or direction.Hundred; used metaphorically to mean 'all' or 'various'.Plan, strategy, or scheme.
  • Meaning: To exhaust every conceivable method, strategy, or plan to achieve a specific goal. It implies a high degree of persistence and the use of a vast array of tactics.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

千方百计 contains the following nuances:

  • Thoroughness of Methods: As indicated by the numbers 'thousand' and 'hundred,' this idiom emphasizes that one is not just trying one or two things, but is employing a vast multitude of strategies.
  • Persistence and Determination: Beyond just having many methods, it reflects a strong will and a sense of desperation to succeed regardless of the effort required.

3. Usage

千方百计 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Overcoming Difficulties: The most common usage, describing efforts in business, projects, or rescue operations to overcome obstacles and reach a goal.
    • Example:为了按时完成项目,团队成员千方百计地克服了技术难题。
      To finish the project on time, the team members tried every possible means to overcome the technical challenges.)
  • Obstruction or Interference: Used in a negative context to describe someone desperately trying to stop something or plotting with ill intent.
    • Example:竞争对手千方百计阻挠我们的新产品上市。
      The competitors are using every trick in the book to prevent our new product from launching.)
  • Achieving a Strong Desire: Describes rushing about or working hard to fulfill a personal wish, such as finding someone or getting tickets.
    • Example:歌迷们千方百计想要弄到这场演唱会的门票。
      Fans are leaving no stone unturned to get tickets for this concert.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 医生千方百计地抢救这位重病患者。
    The doctors tried every possible means to save the critically ill patient.
  2. 父母千方百计为孩子创造最好的学习环境。
    Parents do everything in their power to create the best learning environment for their children.
  3. 不管遇到什么困难,我们都要千方百计把损失降到最低。
    No matter what difficulties we face, we must exhaust all means to minimize losses.
  4. 千方百计地讨好老板,希望能得到晋升。
    He is trying every trick in the book to please his boss in hopes of getting a promotion.

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Origin: This idiom originates from the Classified Conversations of Master Zhu (朱子语类 - Zhū Zǐ Yǔ Lèi) by the Song Dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi (朱熹). He used it to describe the intense effort needed to catch a thief, likening it to the mental focus required for self-cultivation.
  • Usage: It is a very common idiom used frequently in both formal writing and daily conversation.
  • Nuance: Compared to 想方设法 (xiǎng fāng shè fǎ), which simply means 'to think of a way,' 千方百计 (qiān fāng bǎi jì) implies a much higher level of intensity and a wider variety of attempts.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

The idiom 千方百计 (qiān fāng bǎi jì) describes the act of trying every possible means to reach an objective. Using the numbers 'thousand' (千) and 'hundred' (百) to signify a vast quantity, it highlights a relentless and thorough effort. While often used positively to describe overcoming obstacles, it can also be used in a negative sense to describe someone scheming or plotting.

Idiom Essay

qiān fāng bǎi jì
千方百计
By All Means Possible
shēng huó生活hěnduōshì qíng事情bìngbú shì不是yī tiáo一条zhí

In life, many things are not a straight path.

dāngxiǎng yào想要dá chéng达成yí gè一个mù biāo目标shíwǎng wǎng往往huìfā xiàn发现bèidǔ zhù堵住lehuò zhě或者ménshìsuǒ zhe锁着de

When you want to achieve a goal, you often find that the road is blocked or the door is locked.

pǔ tōng rén普通人kě néng可能shìleyī cì一次fā xiàn发现bù xíng不行jiùfàng qì放弃le

Ordinary people might try once, find it doesn't work, and give up.

dànhái yǒu还有yī zhǒng一种réntā men他们shìledì yī zhǒng第一种fāng fǎ方法bù xíng不行jiùhuàndì èr zhǒng第二种dì èr zhǒng第二种bù xíng不行jiùhuàndì sān zhǒng第三种

But there is another kind of person who tries a second method if the first one fails, and a third if the second fails.

zhèng miàn正面zǒubù tōng不通jiùrào dào绕道zǒurào dào绕道bù xíng不行shèn zhì甚至huìxiǎngbàn fǎ办法yī zuò一座qiáo

If the front path is blocked, they take a detour; if the detour doesn't work, they might even find a way to build a bridge.

zhōng wén中文yǒuyí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种wèi le为了dá dào达到mù dì目的yòng jǐn用尽yī qiè一切bàn fǎ办法dezhuàng tài状态jiàoqiān fāng bǎi jì千方百计

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this state of using every possible means to achieve a goal, called 千方百计.

zhè ge这个dehuà miàn gǎn画面感hěnqiáng

This word has a very strong sense of imagery.

qiānbǎidōushìhěndeshù zì数字fāngzhǐdeshìfāng fǎ方法jì móu计谋

千 and 百 are both very large numbers; 方 and 计 refer to methods and schemes.

zì miàn字面shàngkànjiù shì就是xiǎngleyī qiān zhǒng一千种fāng fǎ方法yòngleyì bǎi zhǒng一百种jì móu计谋

Literally, it means thinking of a thousand methods and using a hundred schemes.

dāng rán当然zhèshìyī zhǒng一种kuā zhāng夸张deshuō fǎ说法

Of course, this is an exaggeration.

bìngbú shì不是zhēn de真的zàishùyǒuduō shǎo多少bàn fǎ办法ér shì而是zàiqiáng diào强调yī zhǒng一种jué bù绝不fàng qì放弃dejué xīn决心

It is not actually counting how many methods you have, but emphasizing a determination to never give up.

wǒ men我们tōng cháng通常zàishén me什么qíng kuàng情况xiàyòngqiān fāng bǎi jì千方百计ne

In what situations do we usually use 千方百计?

wǎng wǎng往往shìmiàn duì面对nà xiē那些fēi cháng非常zhòng yào重要yòufēi cháng非常kùn nán困难deshì qíng事情

It is often when facing things that are very important and very difficult.

bǐ rú比如yī wèi一位yī shēng医生wèi le为了jiù zhì救治yī wèi一位zhòng bìng重病deréncháng shì尝试legè zhǒng各种yào wù药物zhì liáo治疗shǒu duàn手段huò zhě或者fù mǔ父母wèi le为了rànghái zi孩子néngshòu dào受到gèng hǎo更好dejiào yù教育kè fú克服legè zhǒng各种shēng huó生活shàngdekùn nán困难

For example, a doctor might try various medicines and treatments to save a critically ill patient; or parents might overcome various life difficulties to ensure their child receives a better education.

zàizhè xiē这些shí kè时刻huìfā xiàn发现qiān fāng bǎi jì千方百计debèi hòu背后qí shí其实bù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shìcōng míng聪明gèng shì更是yī zhǒng一种pò qiè迫切

In these moments, you will find that behind 千方百计 is not just cleverness, but a sense of urgency.

yīn wèi因为yì wèi zhe意味着wú lùn无论yù dào遇到duō shǎo多少zhàng ài障碍dōujiē shòu接受bù kě néng不可能zhè ge这个dá àn答案

Because it means that no matter how many obstacles are encountered, I do not accept 'impossible' as an answer.

suǒ yǐ所以dāngshuōyí gè一个rénqiān fāng bǎi jì千方百计zuòmǒujiànshìshíqí shí其实shìzàimiáo shù描述yī zhǒng一种qiáng dà强大dexíng dòng行动

So, when you say someone is doing something 千方百计, you are actually describing a powerful drive for action.

tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们hěn duō很多shí hòu时候jiě jué解决wèn tí问题deguān jiàn关键zhǐ shì只是kànhǎo bù hǎo好不好zǒuér shì而是kàndào dǐ到底yǒuduōxiǎngzǒudàozhōng diǎn终点

It reminds us that often the key to solving a problem is not just whether the road is easy to walk, but how much you really want to reach the finish line.

xià cì下次dāngkàn dào看到yǒu rén有人wèi le为了yí gè一个mù biāo目标shìbiànlesuǒ yǒu所有kě néng可能denǎ pà哪怕zàinánbù tíng不停xiàshíjiùkě yǐ可以yòngzhè ge这个láixíng róng形容zhēn de真的shìzàiqiān fāng bǎi jì千方百计jiě jué解决wèn tí问题

Next time you see someone trying every possible path for a goal and not stopping no matter how hard it is, you can use this word to describe them: they are truly solving the problem 千方百计.

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