chōu
xīn

idiom

Meaning of 釜底抽薪

釜底抽薪 means to take drastic measures to solve a problem at its root; to address the fundamental cause. Pronounced fǔ dǐ chōu xīn.

  • to take drastic measures to solve a problem at its root; to address the fundamental cause

Definitions & Examples

Yào
jiě
jué
huán
jìng
rǎn
 
chōu
xīn
 
cóng
yuán
tóu
jiǎn
shǎo
pái
fàng
 

To solve environmental pollution, we must take away the firewood from under the cauldron—that is, reduce emissions from the source.

Gōng
cái
wēi
yán
zhòng
 
dǒng
shì
huì
jué
dìng
chōu
xīn
 
chū
shòu
fēi
xīn
 

The company's financial crisis is severe, so the board decided to take drastic measures by selling off non-core businesses.

yáng
tāng
zhǐ
fèi
 
chōu
xīn
 

Rather than trying to stop the pot from boiling by skimming off the foam (a temporary fix), it's better to take away the firewood from underneath (a fundamental solution).