殚精竭虑 (dān jīng jié lǜ) — to rack one's brains; to devote all one's mental energy and thought

Definition

A formal idiom meaning to spare no mental effort in working on a difficult task. The verb-object form (殚, 竭) is fixed — do not separate or insert other words.

idiom
to rack one's brainsto devote all one's mental energy and thought

Examples

  • ，殚精竭虑，。
    Wèi le zhè ge xiàng mù, tā dān jīng jié lǜ, zhōng yú zhǎo dào le jiě jué fāng àn.
    For this project, he racked his brains and finally found a solution.
  • 殚精竭虑，。
    Kē xué jiā men dān jīng jié lǜ, yán jiū rú hé yìng duì qì hòu biàn huà.
    The scientists devoted all their mental energy to researching how to deal with climate change.
  • 殚精竭虑，。
    Tā dān jīng jié lǜ xiě chū de zhè fèn bào gào, dé dào le dà jiā de yí zhì rèn kě.
    The report he wrote after racking his brains received unanimous approval from everyone.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

殚精exhaust energy
殚dānexhaust精jīngenergy
动宾Verb + object
竭虑exhaust thought
竭jiéexhaust虑lǜthought
动宾Verb + object

殚 and 竭 both mean exhaust, while 精 is energy and 虑 is thought; together they express spending all mental effort.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng精jīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

Open 精 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
立立lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
曷
曷hé竭jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

竭 is built from 立 and 曷: 立 carries the meaning part, while 曷 supplies the sound.

Open 竭 →

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 慮; 虑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
思思sīto think
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū慮lǜ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 慮 puts 思 (think) with 虍, which gives the sound; the simplified 虑 is a later shorthand.

Open 虑 →

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