打破砂鍋問到底

打破砂鍋問到底

See also: 打破砂锅问到底

Chinese

		to break; to smash	clay pot	to ask	actually; are or are not; after all actually; are or are not; after all; finally; in the end; when all is said and done
trad. (打破砂鍋問到底)		打破	砂鍋	問	到底
simp. (打破砂锅问到底)		打破	砂锅	问	到底
variant forms		打破沙鍋問到底／打破沙锅问到底 打破砂鍋璺到底／打破砂锅璺到底 打破沙鍋璺到底／打破沙锅璺到底
Literally: “to break the clay pot and ask (crack) to the bottom”.

Etymology

A pun based on the homophony of 璺 (wèn, “crack”) and 問／问 (wèn, “to ask”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): dǎpò shāguō wèn dàodǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄚˇ ㄆㄛˋ ㄕㄚ ㄍㄨㄛ ㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄠˋ ㄉㄧˇ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: dǎpò shāguō wèn dàodǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄚˇ ㄆㄛˋ ㄕㄚ ㄍㄨㄛ ㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄠˋ ㄉㄧˇ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: daapoh shaguo wenn dawdii
    • IPA ^(key): /tä²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ ʂä⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵⁵ u̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Idiom

打破砂鍋問到底

1. to keep asking questions to get to the bottom of something

Synonyms

• (Cantonese) 打爛砂盆問到篤／打烂砂盆问到笃