brains; mental effort
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
brains; mental effort; thinking
informalAlmost exclusively used in the fixed expression "绞脑汁" (jiǎo nǎozhī). Literally refers to brain matter, but idiomatically means to rack one's brains or think very hard.
Zhè这
ge个
wèn问
tí题
tài太
nán难
le了
，
wǒ我
jiǎo绞
jìn尽
nǎo脑
zhī汁
yě也
xiǎng想
bù不
chū出
lái来
。
This problem is too difficult; I've racked my brains and still can't figure it out.
Wèi为
le了
zhè这
ge个
shè设
jì计
，
shè设
jì计
shī师
men们
kě可
méi没
shǎo少
fèi费
nǎo脑
zhī汁
。
The designers have expended a lot of mental effort on this design.
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Bié别
jiǎo绞
wǒ我
de的
nǎo脑
zhī汁
le了
，
wǒ我
zhēn真
de的
bù不
zhī知
dào道
dá答
àn案
。
Stop racking my brains; I really don't know the answer.