Dictionary › 治丝益棼

治丝益棼

zhì sī yì fén

4-character word Traditional 治絲益棼

What 治丝益棼 means

1. lit. try to straighten out silk threads only to tangle them further (idiom)
2. fig. to try to help but end up making things worse

The characters in 治丝益棼

• 治zhìto rule; to govern; to manage
• 丝sīsilk; thread-like thing; (cuisine) shreds or julienne strips…
• 益yìbenefit; profit; advantage
• 棼fénbeams in roof; confused

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read zhì sī yì fén correctly.
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