| 盘根问底 |
pán gēn wèn dǐ |
lit. to examine roots and inquire at the base (idiom); to get to the bottom of sth |
| 盘 |
pán |
tray; plate; dish / (finance) (bound form) market prices / (computing) (bound form) disk / to coil (a rope, pigtail etc) / to check; to examine; to investigate / to transfer; to sell (property) / to shift; to move (sth big and heavy) / classifier for things resembling a plate or dish / classifier for coils / classifier for games or matches (chess, table tennis etc) |
| 根 |
gēn |
root / basis / classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings / CL:条 / radical (chemistry) |
| 问 |
wèn |
to ask; to inquire |
| 底 |
de |
(equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) |
| 底 |
dǐ |
bottom; base / background; foundation / copy (of a manuscript or receipt etc) kept as a record / (suffix) end of a year or month / (math.) radix; base (abbr. for 底数) |