HSK 6

伤脑筋 (shāng nǎo jīn) — how to say "to rack one's brains" in Chinese

伤脑筋

To rack one's brains; brain-teasing

Character composition

伤

to injure, to hurt

脑

brain, mind

筋

tendon, muscle

Radicals / Keys

竹

Bamboo

#118 · zhú · 6 strokes

肉

Meat

#130 · ròu · 6 strokes

人

Man

#9 · rén · 2 strokes

Collocations

伤脑筋的问题

shāng nǎo jīn de wèn tí

troublesome problem

Examples

这个数学题让我伤脑筋了很久。

This math problem made me rack my brains for a long time.

这个问题很伤脑筋。

This problem is very brain-teasing.

Writing

Frequently asked questions

How do you say "to rack one's brains" in Chinese?

"to rack one's brains" in Chinese is 伤脑筋 (shāng nǎo jīn).

What does 伤脑筋 mean in English?

伤脑筋 (shāng nǎo jīn) means "To rack one's brains; brain-teasing".

How is 伤脑筋 pronounced?

It is pronounced shāng nǎo jīn (written as shang nao jin, shangnaojin). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "to rack one's brains" in Chinese characters?

It is written 伤脑筋: 伤 has 6 strokes, 脑 has 10 strokes, 筋 has 12 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.

What HSK level is 伤脑筋?

伤脑筋 belongs to the HSK 6 vocabulary list.

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