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伤脑筋 (shāng nǎo jīn) — to be a real headache; to be troublesome; to cause one to rack one's brains

Definition

Colloquial phrase meaning a problem is 'a real headache' — something that makes you rack your brain. Often used with 很 or 真 to stress how troublesome it is.

phrase
to be a real headacheto be troublesometo cause one to rack one's brains

Examples

  • 伤脑筋。
    Zhè dào shù xué kǎo shì de zuì hòu yí dào tí zhēn shāng nǎo jīn.
    That last problem on the math exam was a real headache.
  • ，伤脑筋。
    Hái zi bù kěn xué xīn dān cí, hěn shāng nǎo jīn.
    The child refuses to learn new vocabulary — it's so troublesome.
  • ，，伤脑筋。
    Zhè ge jì huà zěn me shí shī, wǒ yì zhí xiǎng le hěn jiǔ, zhēn de shāng nǎo jīn.
    I've been thinking for a long time about how to implement this plan — it's plan; it really gives me a headache.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

伤shānghurt
脑筋mind
脑nǎobrain筋jīnsinew
联合Coordinate

伤 (hurt) applied to 脑筋 (mind) means something is a mental headache.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傷; 伤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥏻
𥏻𥏻傷shāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傷 shows 人, a person, and uses 𥏻 to give the sound; the simplified 伤 is a later shorthand.

Open 伤 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腦; 脑 is its simplified writing.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 巛巛chuānhair
  • 囟囟xìnhead; fontanel

In the traditional form 腦, the older part 匕 was replaced by a flesh part, while 巛 (hair) and 囟 (head; fontanel) stayed. The simplified 脑 is a later abbreviation.

Open 脑 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

筋 pairs 竹 (bamboo) with 𠛧 (peel), giving the idea of sinewy fibers from peeled bamboo.

Open 筋 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Thinking & Cognition

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.