抽丝剥茧 chōu sī bāo jiǎn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. to spin silk from cocoons
  2. fig. to make a painstaking investigation (idiom)

CHARACTERS

抽 chōu
HSK 4
draw out, pull out; sprout
丝 sī
HSK 5
silk; fine thread; wire; strings
剥 bāo
HSK 6
peel
茧 jiǎn cocoon; callus, blister