寻根问底 xún gēn wèn dǐ to get to the bottom of things

Explanation

指追究事情的根底，彻底弄明白。

To pursue the root of a matter; to thoroughly understand something.

Origin Story

小镇上来了个算命先生，他自称能掐会算，预知未来。许多人慕名而来，想听听自己的命运。老张也抱着试试看的心态，来到算命先生的摊位前。算命先生看了看老张，神秘地说：“你最近会遇到一件麻烦事，与水有关。”老张心里咯噔一下，他正为家里漏水的事发愁呢。于是他寻根问底，追问算命先生这件事的具体情况，算命先生却支支吾吾，说不出个所以然。老张觉得算命先生是江湖骗子，失望地离开了。回家后，老张仔细检查了家里的水管，发现是水龙头坏了，修好后，漏水问题解决了。老张这才明白，算命先生的话虽然有些道理，但也只是模棱两可的猜测。他明白了，在遇到问题时，不能只听信别人含糊其辞的解释，而应该自己寻根问底，才能真正找到解决问题的办法。

xiǎozhèn shàng lái le ge suànmìng xiānshēng, tā zìchēng néng qiā huì suàn, yùzhī wèilái. xǔduō rén mù míng ér lái, xiǎng tīng tīng zìjǐ de mìngyùn. lǎo zhāng yě bào zhe shìshi kàn de xīntài, lái dào suànmìng xiānshēng de tānwèi qián. suànmìng xiānshēng kàn le kàn lǎo zhāng, shénmì de shuō: "nǐ zuìjìn huì yù dào yī jiàn máfan shì, yǔ shuǐ yǒuguān." lǎo zhāng xīnli gēdēng yīxià, tā zhèng wèi jiā lǐ lòushuǐ de shì fā chóu ne. yúshì tā xún gēn wèndǐ, zhuīwèn suànmìng xiānshēng zhè jiàn shì de jùtǐ qíngkuàng, suànmìng xiānshēng què zhīzhīwūwū, shuō bù chū ge suǒyǒu rán. lǎo zhāng juéde suànmìng xiānshēng shì jiānghú piànzi, shīwàng de líkāi le. huí jiā hòu, lǎo zhāng zǐxì jiǎnchá le jiā lǐ de shuǐguǎn, fāxiàn shì shuǐlóngtóu huài le, xiū hǎo hòu, lòushuǐ wèntí jiějué le. lǎo zhāng cái cāimíng, suànmìng xiānshēng de huà suīrán yǒuxiē dàolǐ, dàn yě zhǐshì mólíng kě kě de cāicè. tā míngbái le, zài yù dào wèntí shí, bùnéng zhǐ tīngxìn biéren hán hú qí cí de jiěshì, ér yīnggāi zìjǐ xún gēn wèndǐ, cái néng zhēnzhèng zhǎodào jiějué wèntí de bànfǎ.

A fortune teller came to a small town, claiming to be able to predict the future. Many people came to hear their fortunes. Old Zhang, too, came with a try-it-out attitude. The fortune teller looked at Old Zhang and mysteriously said: "You will encounter a problem lately, related to water." Old Zhang's heart sank, as he was worried about a water leak at home. So he asked the fortune teller for the details of the problem. But the fortune teller stuttered and couldn't give any clear answers. Old Zhang thought the fortune teller was a fraud and left disappointedly. Back home, Old Zhang carefully inspected his house's water pipes and found a broken faucet. After fixing it, the water leak was resolved. Old Zhang then understood that although the fortune teller's words had some truth, they were also vague guesses. He realized that when encountering problems, one shouldn't rely on others' vague explanations, but should instead pursue the root of the problem oneself to truly find a solution.

Usage

通常作谓语、宾语、定语；表示追究事情的根底，彻底弄明白。

tōngcháng zuò wèiyǔ, bìnyǔ, dìngyǔ; biǎoshì zhuījiū shìqing de gēndǐ, chèdǐ nòng míngbái.

Usually used as a predicate, object, or attributive; to pursue the root of a matter; to thoroughly understand something.

Examples

• 他对历史事件总是寻根问底，力求弄清来龙去脉。

  tā duì lìshǐ shìjiàn zǒngshì xún gēn wèndǐ, lìqiú nòng qīng láilóngmàimò.

  He always digs deep into historical events, striving to understand the ins and outs.

• 他喜欢寻根问底，追究事情的真相。

  tā xǐhuan xún gēn wèndǐ, zhuījiū shìqing de zhēnxiàng.

  He likes to get to the bottom of things, pursuing the truth of the matter.

• 学习要寻根问底，不能囫囵吞枣。

  xuéxí yào xún gēn wèndǐ, bùnéng húlún tǔn zǎo

  Learning should be thorough, not superficial.

Related Idioms

• 寻根究底

• 穷根究底

Opposite Idioms

• 敷衍了事

• 浅尝辄止