追根问底 zhuī gēn wèn dǐ get to the bottom of things

Explanation

追究事情的根底，问个究竟。

To investigate the root of the matter and inquire thoroughly.

Origin Story

在一个古老的村庄里，住着一位德高望重的学者，名叫李先生。他博学多才，对任何事情都充满求知欲。一天，一位年轻的村民向李先生请教一个问题，关于村里一座古塔的来历。村民只知道这座塔历史悠久，但具体建造年代和建造者却无人知晓。李先生并没有直接给出答案，而是耐心地引导村民一起探究。他首先向村民们询问了他们所了解的关于古塔的一切信息，从塔的形状、大小、建筑材料到塔周围的传说故事，村民们纷纷发言，讲述着他们所知道的点点滴滴。李先生认真地倾听着，并不断地提出新的问题，引导着村民们更深入地思考。在村民们的叙述中，李先生逐渐梳理出了一个大致的线索，发现了许多隐藏的细节和信息。他从古塔的建筑风格推测出它可能的建造年代，又从村民们口耳相传的故事中找到了可能与古塔建造有关的历史人物。经过一番仔细研究和深入探讨，李先生终于解开了古塔来历之谜，向村民们详细地讲述了古塔的建造过程，以及古塔背后的历史故事。村民们都对李先生的学识和耐心感到敬佩，他们深刻地认识到，探究事物真相的关键在于追根问底，只有坚持不懈地追问，才能最终找到问题的答案。

zài yīgè gǔlǎo de cūn zhuāng lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi dé gāo wàng zhòng de xué zhě, míng jiào lǐ xiānsheng. tā bó xué duō cái, duì rènhé shìqíng dōu chōngmǎn qiú zhī yù. yī tiān, yī wèi nián qīng de cūn mín xiàng lǐ xiānsheng qǐng jiào yīgè wèntí, guānyú cūn lǐ yī zuò gǔ tǎ de láilì. cūn mín zhǐ zhīdào zhè zuò tǎ lìshǐ yōujiǔ, dàn jùtǐ jiànzào nián dài hé jiànzào zhě què wú rén zhī xiǎo. lǐ xiānsheng bìng méiyǒu zhíjiē gěi chū dá'àn, érshì nàixīn de yǐndǎo cūn mín yī qǐ tànjiū. tā shǒuxiān xiàng cūn mínmen xúnwèn le tāmen suǒ liǎojiě de guānyú gǔ tǎ de yīqiè xìnxī, cóng tǎ de xíngzhuàng, dà xiǎo, jiànzhù cáiliào dào tǎ zhōuwéi de chuán shuō gùshì, cūn mínmen fēnfēn fāyán, jiǎngshù zhe tāmen suǒ zhīdào de diǎndiǎn dīdī. lǐ xiānsheng rèn zhēn de qīngtīngzhe, bìng bùduàn de tíchū xīn de wèntí, yǐndǎo zhe cūn mínmen gèng shēnrù de sīkǎo. zài cūn mínmen de xùshù zhōng, lǐ xiānsheng zhújiàn shūlǐ chū le yīgè dàzhì de xiànsuō, fāxiàn le xǔduō yǐncáng de xìjié hé xìnxī. tā cóng gǔ tǎ de jiànzhù fēnggé tuīcè chū tā kěnéng de jiànzào nián dài, yòu cóng cūn mínmen kǒu'ěr chuán chuán de gùshì zhōng zhǎodào kěnéng yǔ gǔ tǎ jiànzào yǒuguān de lìshǐ rénwù. jīngguò yī fān zǐxì yánjiū hé shēnrù tàotán, lǐ xiānsheng zhōngyú jiěkāi le gǔ tǎ láilì zhī mí, xiàng cūn mínmen xiángxì de jiǎngshù le gǔ tǎ de jiànzào guòchéng, yǐjí gǔ tǎ bèihòu de lìshǐ gùshì. cūn mínmen dōu duì lǐ xiānsheng de xué shí hé nàixīn gǎndào jìngpèi, tāmen shēnkè de rènshí dào, tànjiū shìwù zhēnxiàng de guānjiàn zàiyú zhuīgēnwèndǐ, zhǐyǒu jiānchí bùxiè de zhuīwèn, cáinéng zhōngyú zhǎodào wèntí de dá'àn.

In an ancient village, there lived a highly respected scholar named Mr. Li. He was erudite and talented, and he was full of curiosity about everything. One day, a young villager asked Mr. Li a question about the origin of an ancient tower in the village. The villager only knew that the tower had a long history, but no one knew the exact year of construction or the builders. Mr. Li did not directly answer, but patiently guided the villager to explore together. He first asked the villagers about all the information they knew about the tower, from the shape, size, and building materials to the legends and stories around the tower. The villagers spoke one after another, telling what they knew. Mr. Li listened attentively and kept asking new questions, leading the villagers to think more deeply. In the villagers' stories, Mr. Li gradually sorted out a general clue, discovering many hidden details and information. He inferred the possible construction date from the architectural style of the tower, and found historical figures possibly related to the construction of the tower from the stories passed down by word of mouth among the villagers. After careful research and in-depth discussion, Mr. Li finally solved the mystery of the tower's origin and told the villagers in detail the construction process and the historical stories behind the tower. The villagers admired Mr. Li's knowledge and patience, and they deeply understood that the key to exploring the truth lies in pursuing the root cause. Only by persistent questioning can one finally find the answer to the question.

Usage

用于形容对事情追根究底地探究。

yòng yú xíngróng duì shìqíng zhuīgēnwèndǐ de tànjiū

Used to describe the thorough investigation of something.

Examples

• 他追根问底地询问事情的经过。

  tā zhuīgēnwèndǐ de xúnwèn shìqíng de jīngguò

  He inquired into the details of the incident.

• 面对复杂的难题，他总是追根问底，力求找到问题的根本原因。

  miànduì fùzá de nántí, tā zǒngshì zhuīgēnwèndǐ, lìqiú zhǎodào wèntí de gēnběn yuányīn

  In the face of complex problems, he always pursues the root causes in order to find the root cause of the problem

Related Idioms

• 追根究底

• 寻根究底

Opposite Idioms

• 敷衍了事

• 轻描淡写