抽丝剥茧 in English chou1 si1 bao1 jian3 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) to spin silk from cocoons
  • metaphorically to make a painstaking investigation (idiomatic expression)

Simplified Characters

抽 丝 剥 茧

Traditional Characters

抽 絲 剝 繭

Pinyin

chou1 si1 bao1 jian3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

抽chou1to draw out 丝si1silk 剥bo1to peel 茧jian3cocoon