抽丝剥茧
chōu sī bō jiǎn
to unravel a problem patiently, layer by layer
Character by character
抽chōu
draw
draw
丝sī
silk
silk
剥bō
peel
peel
茧jiǎn
cocoon
cocoon
Example
侦探抽丝剥茧，终于找出了真正的凶手。
Teasing out the threads one by one, the detective finally found the real killer.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From silk-making: the thread is drawn from the cocoon a strand at a time. Praises careful analysis in detective stories, research and investigations. 剥 is bō here, the reading used in set phrases.
Learn this in Lesson 125 · HSK 7–9: 哈尔滨头骨之谜 (Interview: the Harbin skull)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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