踏破铁鞋无觅处

踏破鐵鞋無覓處

Tà pò tiěxié wú mì chù

quotation

Meanings

1 searched high and low and found nothing
2 wore out iron shoes in the search with no result

Characters

to tread / step on

broken / worn through

Examples

HSK 6

踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费工夫。

Tàpòtiěxiéwúmìchù, délái quán bù fèi gōngfu.

Searched high and low and found nothing - then got it with no effort at all.

HSK 7-9

这本书我找了好几年，真是踏破铁鞋无觅处。

Zhè běn shū wǒ zhǎo le hǎojǐ nián, zhēnshì tàpòtiěxiéwúmìchù.

I've been hunting for this book for years - truly a case of wearing out iron shoes and still finding nothing.

Tips

history

Popularized by the Ming story collection 《警世通言》. Nearly always quoted with its second half 得来全不费工夫 - the contrast between fruitless search and effortless discovery is the whole punchline.

usage

Functions as the setup of a two-part saying. Use the full couplet 踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费工夫 when you find something easily right after giving up on finding it.

Stroke Order

踏 tà

破 pò

铁 tiě

鞋 xié

无 wú

觅 mì

处 chǔ