翻箱倒箧 turn boxes and chests upside down
Explanation
形容彻底翻检。
describes a thorough search.
Origin Story
老张家的老宅子堆满了各式各样的旧物，从古老的瓷器到泛黄的书信，应有尽有。一天，老张的孙子小明听说爷爷的旧宅子里藏着宝贝，便偷偷溜了进去，开始了他寻宝之旅。他小心翼翼地打开每一个柜子，翻动每一张桌子，甚至连角落里的蜘蛛网也不放过。他翻箱倒箧，把整个老宅子都翻了个底朝天，希望能找到传说中的宝贝。然而，他找来找去，却只找到了一些破旧的衣服和已经失去光泽的铜器。失望之余，小明开始细细察看那些旧物，他发现一些泛黄的信件上写满了爷爷年轻时的故事，里面有爷爷对梦想的执着，对爱情的忠贞，对家人的牵挂，这些文字比任何宝贝都珍贵。小明突然明白，真正的宝贝并不是金银财宝，而是家人的爱和回忆。这次翻箱倒箧的经历，让他对家庭和历史有了更深刻的理解。
Old Zhang's old house was filled with all sorts of old things, from ancient porcelain to yellowed letters, everything was there. One day, Old Zhang's grandson Xiaoming heard that there were treasures hidden in his grandfather's old house, so he sneaked in and started his treasure hunt. He carefully opened every cabinet, turned over every table, and even didn't let go of the cobwebs in the corners. He turned the whole old house upside down, hoping to find the legendary treasure. However, all he found were some old clothes and tarnished copperware. Disappointed, Xiaoming began to carefully examine those old things, and he found that some yellowed letters were filled with stories of his grandfather's youth, including his grandfather's persistence in his dreams, his loyalty to love, and his concern for his family. These words were more precious than any treasure. Xiaoming suddenly realized that the real treasure is not gold and silver, but the love and memories of his family. This experience of searching everywhere gave him a deeper understanding of family and history.
Usage
用作谓语、宾语、定语；形容彻底翻检。
Used as predicate, object, and attributive; describes a thorough search.
Examples
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警察翻箱倒箧地搜查了他的房间，却一无所获。
jingcha fan xiang dao qie de soucha le ta de fangjian, que yiwusuohuo
The police searched his room thoroughly, but found nothing.
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他翻箱倒箧地找寻丢失的项链，却依然没有找到。
ta fan xiang dao qie de zhaoxun dishi de xianglian, que yiran meiyou zhaodao
He searched high and low for his lost necklace, but still couldn't find it.