千方百计 (qiān fāng bǎi jì)

Character breakdown

• 千 (qiān) · 3 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 一 represents the meaning and 亻 represents the sound.

• 方 (Fāng) · 4 strokes

  Depicts the cutting edge (一) of a knife blade (刀). Similar in origin to 亡. Based on the original meaning "cutting edge". The meaning later expanded to "perimeter", "area", and "square".

• 百 (Bǎi) · 6 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 一 represents the meaning and 白 represents the sound.

• 计 (Jì) · 4 strokes

  Depicts saying (言) numbers (十) to count or calculate.

Usage

他千方百计地想要解决问题。

lit. thousand ways, a hundred plans (idiom); by every possible means

tā qiān fāng bǎi jì dì xiǎng yào jiě jué wèn tí 。