伤脑筋 shāngnǎojīn to be a real headache
to be a real headache; to find something a real headache; to beat one's brains
How to remember 伤脑筋: 伤 to injure + 脑 brain + 筋 muscle = to be a real headache.
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How it is used
- To be a headache / rack one's brains over - 这个问题真让人伤脑筋 (zhège wèntí zhēn ràng rén shāng nǎojīn) this problem is a real headache.
- Colloquial; describes a troublesome, hard-to-solve matter. Separable: 伤透了脑筋 (utterly stumped).
- About mental difficulty/worry, not physical pain; the 'headache' is figurative frustration.