反复推敲 — “To ponder and refine repeatedly”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 反复推敲?

多次捉摸，选择最佳方案。

反复推敲 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to ponder and refine repeatedly”. To weigh carefully and scrutinize to achieve the best outcome. Literally, “repeatedly deliberate and refine”.

Frequency

反复推敲 Pronunciation and Pinyin

反复推敲 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
反	fǎn	4	reverse, opposite, anti
复	fù	9	return, repeat, or complex
推	tuī	11	push, promote, infer, postpone
敲	qiāo	14	strike, hit, or knock

Example Sentence with 反复推敲

团队成员对新产品的设计方案进行了反复推敲，力求达到完美。

The team members repeatedly deliberated and refined the design proposal for the new product, striving for perfection.

Origin and Story of 反复推敲

During the Tang Dynasty, the poet Jia Dao, after failing his imperial examination, became a monk. He had a deep passion for poetry and was exceptionally meticulous in his craft.

Once, he composed a line that roughly translates to 'A bird nests by the pondside tree, a monk *pushes* the moonlit gate.' He was uncertain about the verb 'pushes' (推) and went to consult the renowned literary master Han Yu.

Han Yu suggested changing 'pushes' to 'knocks' (敲), creating the line 'A bird nests by the pondside tree, a monk *knocks* the moonlit gate.' Han Yu was deeply impressed by Jia Dao's rigorous and diligent approach to refining his verses.