釜底抽薪

fǔdǐchōuxīn

idiom

Meanings

1 to take away the firewood from under the cauldron
2 to tackle a problem at its root
3 to pull the rug out from under

Characters

cauldron; cooking pot

bottom; underneath

to draw out; to pull out

Examples

要解决这个问题，必须采取釜底抽薪的办法。

Yào jiějué zhège wèntí, bìxū cǎiqǔ fǔdǐchōuxīn de bànfǎ.

To solve this problem, we must take a root-and-branch approach.

切断敌人的补给线是釜底抽薪之计。

Qiēduàn dírén de bǔjǐxiàn shì fǔdǐchōuxīn zhī jì.

Cutting the enemy's supply line is a classic 'pull the firewood from under the cauldron' strategy.

Tips

history

Echoes Dong Zhuo's Han-dynasty memorial 《上何进书》: '扬汤止沸，莫若去薪。' — ladling out boiling soup is less effective than removing the firewood. Listed as one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六计·第十九计).

usage

Strongly strategic flavor — solving a problem by removing its cause rather than managing its symptoms. Contrast with 扬汤止沸 (ladle the soup to stop it boiling) = quick fix that doesn't last.

Stroke Order

釜 fǔ

底 dǐ

抽 chōu

薪 xīn