Definition
伤脑筋 (shāng nǎo jīn) is a colloquial set phrase meaning 'to be a real headache' or 'to cause one to rack one's brains'. It describes a problem or situation that is mentally taxing and frustrating, often used in everyday speech. Unlike 麻烦 (máfan), which focuses on inconvenience, 伤脑筋 emphasizes the mental strain of figuring something out.
phrase
to be a real headacheto be troublesometo cause one to rack one's brains
Examples
- 伤脑筋。Shùxué kǎoshì de zuìhòu yí dào tí zhēn shāng nǎo jīn.That last problem on the math exam was a real headache.
- ，伤脑筋。Háizi bù kěn xué xīn dāncí, hěn shāng nǎo jīn.The child refuses to learn new vocabulary — it's so troublesome.
- ，，伤脑筋。Zhège jìhuà zěnme shíshī, wǒ yìzhí 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.
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