追本求源 zhuī běn qiú yuán Trace to its source

Explanation

追本求源指的是追究事情发生的根源，探求事物的本源。它强调了深入研究，找到问题的根本原因的重要性。

To trace the origin of something; to find the root of something; to investigate the source.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有一位名叫李白的诗人，他从小就对诗歌创作充满热情，他的诗歌充满了浪漫主义色彩，并表达了他对社会现实的不满。他一生创作了大量的诗歌，其中很多都流传至今，成为中国文学史上的瑰宝。但是，很少有人知道，李白的诗歌创作并非一蹴而就，而是在长期不断学习和实践中积累起来的。李白年轻时，为了提高自己的创作水平，他曾远游各地，拜访名师，遍览群书，积累了丰富的文化底蕴和创作素材。他尤其注重学习前代诗人的优秀作品，从中汲取营养，不断提升自己的创作能力。他常常反复阅读，仔细揣摩诗歌的意境、语言、技巧，力求达到“词意尽妙，神韵俱佳”的境界。同时，他还勇于实践，不断地将自己的学习心得融入创作之中，不断尝试新的创作手法，努力开拓诗歌创作的领域。因此，李白在诗歌创作上取得了巨大成就，并非偶然，而是他长期追本求源，不断学习和实践的结果。

huì shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de shī rén, tā cóng xiǎo jiù duì shī gē chuàngzuò chōng mǎn rè qíng, tā de shī gē chōng mǎn le làng màn zhǔyì sècǎi, bìng biǎodá le tā duì shèhuì xiànshí de bù mǎn. tā yīshēng chuàngzuò le dà liàng de shī gē, qízhōng hěn duō dōu liúchuán zhì jīn, chéngwéi zhōngguó wénxuéshǐ shàng de guībǎo. dàn shì, hěn shǎo yǒurén zhīdào, lǐ bái de shī gē chuàngzuò bìng fēi yī cù ér jiù, ér shì zài cháng qī bùduàn xuéxí hé shíjiàn zhōng jīlèi qǐlái de. lǐ bái nián qīng shí, wèi le tígāo zìjǐ de chuàngzuò shuǐpíng, tā céng yuǎnyóu gèdì, bài fǎng míngshī, biàn lǎn qún shū, jīlèi le fēngfù de wénhuà dǐyùn hé chuàngzuò sùcái. tā yóuqí zhòngshì xuéxí qiándài shī rén de yōuxiù zuòpǐn, cóng zhōng jíqǔ yíngyǎng, bùduàn tíshēng zìjǐ de chuàngzuò nénglì. tā chángcháng fǎnfù dú yuedù, zǐxì chuāimó shī gē de yì jìng, yǔyán, jìqiǎo, lìqiú dádào“cí yì jìn miào, shényùn jù jiā”de jìngjiè. tóngshí, tā hái yǒng yú shíjiàn, bùduàn de jiāng zìjǐ de xuéxí xīnde róng rù chuàngzuò zhī zhōng, bùduàn chángshì xīn de chuàngzuò shǒufǎ, nǔlì kāituò shī gē chuàngzuò de língyù. yīncǐ, lǐ bái zài shī gē chuàngzuò shàng qǔdé le jùdà chéngjiù, bìng fēi ǒurán, ér shì tā cháng qī zhuī běn qiú yuán, bùduàn xuéxí hé shíjiàn de jiéguǒ.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai who was passionate about poetry from a young age. His poems were filled with romanticism and expressed his dissatisfaction with social reality. He created a large number of poems throughout his life, many of which survive today and are considered treasures of Chinese literary history. However, few know that Li Bai’s poetic achievements weren’t accidental but rather the result of his long pursuit of the source. In his youth, to improve his writing skills, Li Bai traveled extensively, sought out great teachers, read widely, and amassed a rich cultural background and creative resources. He paid particular attention to studying the works of previous poets, learning from them to constantly improve his own ability. He frequently reread and carefully studied the atmosphere, language, and technique of the poems, striving to achieve the ‘perfect meaning, harmonious spirit’ ideal. At the same time, he courageously put this into practice, consistently integrating his study insights into his creation, continually trying new methods and working hard to explore new areas of poetry. Therefore, Li Bai’s immense success was not accidental, but rather the result of his lifelong pursuit of the origins of poetry, his continuous learning and practice.

Usage

追本求源通常用作谓语、宾语，指追究事情的根源，探求事物的本源。

zhuī běn qiú yuán tōngcháng yòng zuò wèi yǔ, bīn yǔ, zhǐ zhuījiū shì qing de gēn yuán, tàn qiú shì wù de běn yuán.

The idiom is usually used as a predicate or object, referring to tracing the origin of something and exploring the source of things.

Examples

• 为了弄清事情的来龙去脉，我们必须追本求源。

  wèi le nòng qīng shì qing de lái lóng mài mò, wǒmen bìxū zhuīběnqiúyuán

  To understand the ins and outs of a matter, we must trace its origin.

• 研究问题要追本求源，不能只看表面现象。

  yánjiū wèntí yào zhuī běn qiú yuán, bù néng zhǐ kàn biǎomiàn xiànxiàng

  In research, we must trace back to its root cause and not just look at the surface phenomena.

Related Idioms

• 追根究底

• 寻根问底

Opposite Idioms

• 舍本逐末

• 浅尝辄止