想方设法

• Pinyin: xiǎng fāng shè fǎ
• Hanzi breakdown: 想 = 心 + 相 (heart + appearance — to think); 方 = 方 (direction/method); 设 = 讠 + 殳 (to devise/set up); 法 = 氵 + 去 (water + go — method, approach)

Meaning

To try every possible means; to rack one's brains and explore all options to solve a problem or achieve a goal.

A four-character idiom expressing persistent, determined effort to find solutions. Implies resourcefulness and tenacity — not giving up but exploring every available option. Common in business, problem-solving, and everyday speech, conveying admirable persistence rather than desperation.

Examples

1. 公司管理层想方设法开拓新市场，终于在竞争激烈的行业中找到了新的突破口。 The company’s leadership tried every possible way to expand into new markets and finally found a new breakthrough in a fiercely competitive industry.
2. 他想方设法凑齐了孩子的学费，只为让孩子能够在城里继续完成学业，改变命运。 He scraped together his child’s tuition by every means possible, just so the child could keep studying in the city and change their fate.
3. 研究团队想方设法突破技术瓶颈，历经三年终于开发出拥有完全自主知识产权的核心产品。 The research team tried every possible approach to break through the technical bottleneck; after three years, they finally developed a core product with fully independent intellectual property rights.

Usage Guide

Context: problem-solving, business, daily life, education

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 面对资金短缺的困境，创业团队想方设法压缩运营成本，以维持项目的正常运转。(Facing a funding shortage, the startup team tried every possible means to reduce operating costs and keep the project running normally.)
• 她想方设法安排好家中老人的日常照护，同时兼顾繁忙的工作，令周围的人深感敬佩。(She tried every possible means to arrange proper daily care for the elderly at home while managing her demanding career — deeply admired by those around her.)

Don't Say

• 想方设法放松休息 — 想方设法 implies resourcefully overcoming obstacles; it sounds incongruous with leisurely activities — use 尽情放松 or 好好休息 instead

Origin & History

想方 (think of ways/directions) + 设法 (devise methods/approaches) — to think of every method and devise every solution

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal