抽丝剥茧 chōu sī bāo jiǎn

fig. to make a painstaking investigation (idiom)

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

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

Characters

Character Meaning
抽 chōu HSK 4
to draw out; to remove part of the whole
丝 sī HSK 5
silk; thread; trace
剥 bāo HSK 6
to peel; to skin; to shuck
茧 jiǎn
cocoon; callus; variant of 繭jiǎn