釜底抽薪 fǔ dǐ chōu xīn

DEFINITIONS

  1. to take drastic measures to deal with a situation
  2. to pull the carpet from under sb

CHARACTERS

釜 fǔ cauldron, pot, kettle
底 dǐ
HSK 4
bottom, underneath, underside
抽 chōu
HSK 4
draw out, pull out; sprout
薪 xīn
HSK 6
fuel, firewood; salary