煞费苦心 (shà fèi kǔ xīn) — to take great pains, to go to great lengths (about doing something)

Definition

A set phrase (chengyu) meaning someone has spent a lot of thought and effort on something difficult. Stronger and more literary than 用心, which just means 'with care.'

verb
to take great painsto go to great lengths (about doing something)

Examples

  • ，煞费苦心。
    Wèi le zhè ge xiàng mù, tā kě yǐ shuō shà fèi kǔ xīn.
    He can be said to have taken great pains for this project.
  • 煞费苦心，。
    Fù mǔ wèi le hái zi de jiào yù shà fèi kǔ xīn, xī wàng tā men néng yǒu hǎo de wèi lái.
    Parents take great pains for their children's education, hoping they can have a good future.
  • 。
    Tā wèi le zhè jiàn shì shā fèi le yì fān kǔ xīn.
    He went to great pains over this matter.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 煞 →

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 費; 费 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry
Sound part声符shēngfú
弗
弗fú費fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 費 has 貝, a cowry shell, and 弗, which gives a sound; the simplified 费 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 费 →

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ苦kǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.

Open 苦 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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