千头万绪 qiān tóu wàn xù Thousands of threads and ten thousand ends

Explanation

千头万绪是一个汉语成语，形容事情的开端，头绪非常多，也形容事情复杂纷乱。就像一根线，有很多丝头，很难理清。

"Thousands of threads and ten thousand ends" is a Chinese idiom describing that the beginnings of a thing are very numerous, and they are also complex and chaotic. It's like a thread with many ends that are difficult to untangle.

Origin Story

老张是一位经验丰富的木匠，他接下了为村里修建一座新祠堂的任务。这可是个大工程，需要设计、建造、雕刻，还有各种各样的琐事，老张不禁头疼起来。他坐在桌前，手里拿着笔，在纸上不停地画着草图，脑子里却像一团乱麻，千头万绪，根本理不清头绪。他一边思索着，一边喃喃自语：“这祠堂可不能马虎，要修得庄严宏伟，还要符合我们村里的风水格局。可是，这千头万绪，该从哪里下手呢？”这时，老张的徒弟小李走了进来，看到他愁眉苦脸的样子，关心地问道：“师傅，您怎么了？”老张叹了一口气说：“这祠堂的建造可是千头万绪，我一时半会儿也理不清头绪啊。”小李笑着说：“师傅，别着急，我们一步一步来，先把最主要的做好，然后才能逐一解决其他的问题。您看，我们现在可以先从设计图纸开始，先确定祠堂的整体布局，然后再进行细致的雕刻和装饰。”老张听了小李的话，顿时茅塞顿开。是啊，何必愁眉苦脸呢？只要把事情一件一件地做，总会有头绪的。于是，老张和小李一起，按照计划，先设计图纸，然后采购材料，接着进行建造，最后进行雕刻和装饰。经过他们的努力，终于建成了一座宏伟壮观的祠堂，村民们都非常满意。

lǎo zhāng shì yī wèi jīng yàn fēng fù de mù jiàng, tā jiē xià le wèi cūn lǐ xiū jiàn yī zuò xīn cí táng de rèn wù. zhè kě shì gè dà gōng chéng, xū yào shè jì, jiàn zào, diāo kè, hái yǒu gè zhǒng gè yàng de zuǒ shì, lǎo zhāng bù jīn tóu téng qǐ lái. tā zuò zài zhuō qián, shǒu lǐ ná zhe bǐ, zài zhǐ shàng bù tíng dì huà zhe cǎo tú, nǎo zǐ lǐ què xiàng yī tuán luàn má, qiān tóu wàn xù, gēn běn lǐ bù qīng tóu xù. tā yī biān sī suǒ zhe, yī biān nán nán zì yǔ: “zhè cí táng kě bù néng mǎ hu, yào xiū de zhuāng yán hóng wěi, hái yào fú hé wǒ men cūn lǐ de fēng shuǐ gé jú. kě shì, zhè qiān tóu wàn xù, gāi cóng nǎ lǐ xià shǒu ne?” zhè shí, lǎo zhāng de tú dì xiǎo lǐ zǒu le jìn lái, kàn dào tā chóu méi kǔ liǎn de yàng zi, guān xīn dì wèn dào: “shī fu, nín zěn me le?” lǎo zhāng tàn le yī kǒu qì shuō: “zhè cí táng de jiàn zào kě shì qiān tóu wàn xù, wǒ yī shí bàn huì yě lǐ bù qīng tóu xù a.” xiǎo lǐ xiào zhe shuō: “shī fu, bié zháo jí, wǒ men yī bù yī bù lái, xiān bǎ zuì zhǔ yào de zuò hǎo, rán hòu cái néng zhú yī jiě jué qí tā de wèn tí. nín kàn, wǒ men xiàn zài kě yǐ xiān cóng shè jì tú zhǐ kāi shǐ, xiān què dìng cí táng de zǒng tǐ bù jú, rán hòu zài jìn xíng xì zhì de diāo kè hé zhuāng shì.” lǎo zhāng tīng le xiǎo lǐ de huà, dùn shí máo sè dùn kāi. ā, hé bì chóu méi kǔ liǎn ne? zhǐ yào bǎ shì qíng yī jiàn yī jiàn dì zuò, zǒng huì yǒu tóu xù de. yú shì, lǎo zhāng hé xiǎo lǐ yī qǐ, àn zhào jì huà, xiān shè jì tú zhǐ, rán hòu gòu mǎi cái liào, jiē zhe jìn xíng jiàn zào, zuì hòu jìn xíng diāo kè hé zhuāng shì. jīng guò tā men de nǔ lì, zhōng yú jiàn chéng le yī zuò hóng wěi zhuàng guān de cí táng, cūn mín men dōu fēi cháng mǎn yì.

Old Zhang was an experienced carpenter who had taken on the task of building a new ancestral hall for the village. It was a big project that required design, construction, carving, and all sorts of miscellaneous matters, and Old Zhang couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. He sat at his desk, pen in hand, constantly sketching drafts on the paper, but his mind was like a tangled mess, a thousand threads and ten thousand ends, he couldn't make heads or tails of it. He thought and muttered to himself: "This ancestral hall can't be sloppy, it has to be built solemnly and grandly, and it must conform to the feng shui layout of our village. But with all these threads and ends, where should I start?" At this time, Old Zhang's apprentice, Xiao Li, walked in, seeing his gloomy expression, he asked with concern: "Master, what's wrong?" Old Zhang sighed and said: "The construction of this ancestral hall is full of so many tasks, I can't figure it out for a while." Xiao Li smiled and said: "Master, don't worry, we'll take it one step at a time, first do the most important things, and then we can solve other problems one by one. You see, we can start with the design drawings now, first determine the overall layout of the ancestral hall, and then proceed with detailed carving and decoration." Old Zhang's eyes lit up when he heard Xiao Li's words. Yes, why was he so worried? As long as you do things one by one, there will always be a way. So, Old Zhang and Xiao Li worked together, following the plan, first designing the drawings, then purchasing materials, then building, and finally carving and decorating. Through their efforts, they finally built a majestic and spectacular ancestral hall, and the villagers were very satisfied.

Usage

这个成语主要用来形容事情繁杂、头绪众多，让人难以处理。它通常用于描述工作、学习、生活中的复杂情况。例如，面对一个大型项目，可能会出现很多问题，让人觉得千头万绪，不知从何下手。

zhè gè chéng yǔ zhǔ yào yòng lái xíng róng shì qíng fán zá, tóu xù zhòng duō, ràng rén nán yǐ chǔ lǐ. tā tóng cháng yòng yú miáo shù gōng zuò, xué xí, shēng huó zhōng de fù zá qíng kuàng. lì rú, miàn duì yī gè dà xíng xiàng mù, kě néng huì chū xiàn hěn duō wèn tí, ràng rén jué de qiān tóu wàn xù, bù zhī cóng hé xià shǒu.

This idiom is mainly used to describe the situation when things are complicated and there are many threads, making it difficult to handle. It is often used to describe complex situations in work, study, and life. For example, facing a large project, there may be many problems, making people feel that there are thousands of threads and ends, and they don't know where to start.

Examples

• 这件案子牵涉甚广，真是千头万绪，让人眼花缭乱。

  zhè jiàn àn zi qiān shè shèn guǎng, zhēn shì qiān tóu wàn xù, ràng rén yǎn huā liáo luàn.

  This case involves a wide range of issues, and it's really a tangled mess. It's confusing.

• 这次项目涉及很多部门，千头万绪，需要大家共同努力。

  zhè cì xiàng mù shè jí hěn duō bù mén, qiān tóu wàn xù, xū yào dà jiā gòng tóng nǔ lì.

  This project involves many departments, and it's a complex undertaking that requires everyone's effort.

• 他面对着千头万绪的工作，却依然井井有条地处理着。

  tā miàn duì zhe qiān tóu wàn xù de gōng zuò, què yī rán jǐng jǐng yǒu tiáo dì chǔ lǐ zhe.

  He's facing a lot of work, but he still manages it in an orderly manner.

Related Idioms

• 错综复杂

• 纷繁复杂

• 千丝万缕

Opposite Idioms

• 井井有条

• 清晰明了

• 一目了然