Definition
想方设法 and 千方百计 both mean 'by every possible means'. 想方设法 focuses on the mental effort of thinking up plans, while 千方百计 emphasizes the sheer number of methods tried (千 'thousand' + 百 'hundred'). In practice they are often interchangeable, but 千方百计 is slightly more forceful and common in formal writing.
phrase
to try every possible meansto exhaust all methods
idiom
by hook or by crook
Examples
- ，想方设法。Wèile zhǎodào gōngzuò, tā xiǎng fāng shè fǎ de tóu le hěn duō jiǎnlì.To find a job, he tried every possible way and submitted many resumes.
- 想方设法，。Dàjiā xiǎng fāng shè fǎ, zhōngyú jiějué le zhège wèntí.Everyone tried every possible method and finally solved this problem.
- 想方设法。Gōngsī xiǎng fāng shè fǎ de tígāo chǎnpǐn zhìliàng.The company is trying every possible means to improve product quality.
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