千方百计

• Pinyin: qiān fāng bǎi jì
• Hanzi breakdown: 千 = 十 + 人 (thousand); 方 = pictograph of square/plan (method/direction); 百 = 一 + 白 (hundred); 计 = 言 + 十 (plan/calculate)

Meaning

By every possible means; trying every conceivable way; using all available strategies. Describes exhausting all methods and stratagems to achieve a goal.

A four-character idiom conveying determined, resourceful effort. Can be positive (determined pursuit of a worthy goal) or negative (scheming, manipulation). Widely used in news media, official discourse, and everyday speech. Frequently collocates with verbs of seeking, achieving, or solving.

Examples

1. 地方政府千方百计筹措灾后重建资金，向中央申请专项拨款的同时，也积极引入社会资本参与。 Local governments tried every possible way to raise funds for post-disaster reconstruction—applying for special central-government allocations while also bringing in private capital.
2. 这家初创公司千方百计争取到了首轮融资，但后续的市场推广与产品迭代压力依然相当巨大。 This startup tried every possible way to secure its first round of funding, but the pressure of marketing and product iteration afterward is still enormous.
3. 骗子千方百计取得了受害者的信任，随后以投资名义骗走了对方多年的积蓄。 The scammer used every trick in the book to win the victim’s trust, then cheated them out of years of savings in the name of investing.

Usage Guide

Context: business, politics, problem-solving, negative intent

Tone: determined

Do Say

• 科研团队千方百计克服实验条件的限制，终于在极其有限的资源下获得了具有突破性的研究成果。(The research team used every possible means to overcome the limitations of their experimental conditions, finally achieving a breakthrough result with extremely limited resources.)
• 学校千方百计为困难学生争取助学金名额，确保每位有意愿继续升学的孩子都能获得相应支持。(The school tried every conceivable way to secure scholarship places for students in need, ensuring every child who wished to continue studying could receive the support they required.)

Don't Say

• 我千方百计地喜欢她 — 千方百计 collocates with purposeful verbs of action and effort, not states of feeling; use 竭尽全力/想尽办法 with action verbs

Origin & History

千 (thousand) + 方 (method/way) + 百 (hundred) + 计 (plan/stratagem) — a thousand methods and a hundred plans; every conceivable means

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal