think deeply and hard; rack one's brains
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb phrase
to think deeply and hard; to ponder intently
neutralAlso said as 冥思苦索 (míng sī kǔ suǒ). Often used to describe someone concentrating intensely on a difficult problem, trying to find a solution or understanding.
Wèi为
le了
jiě解
kāi开
zhè这
dào道
shù数
xué学
nán难
tí题
，
tā他
míng冥
sī思
kǔ苦
xiǎng想
le了
zhěng整
zhěng整
yī一
gè个
wǎn晚
shang上
。
In order to solve this difficult math problem, he racked his brains all night long.
Shè设
jì计
shī师
míng冥
sī思
kǔ苦
xiǎng想
，
zhōng终
yú于
zhǎo找
dào到
le了
wán完
měi美
de的
fāng方
àn案
。
The designer thought deeply and finally found the perfect solution.
Show 2 more examplesShow fewer examples
Tā他
míng冥
sī思
kǔ苦
xiǎng想
le了
hǎo好
jǐ几
tiān天
，
hái还
shì是
xiǎng想
bù不
chū出
yī一
gè个
hǎo好
zhǔ主
yì意
。
He thought hard for several days, but still couldn't come up with a good idea.
Zuò作
jiā家
zhèng正
duì对
zhe着
gǎo稿
zhǐ纸
míng冥
sī思
kǔ苦
xiǎng想
，
xún寻
zhǎo找
xià下
yī一
jù句
de的
líng灵
gǎn感
。
The writer was lost in thought, staring at the manuscript paper, searching for inspiration for the next sentence.