絞盡腦汁

See also: 绞尽脑汁

Chinese

		hang (a criminal); to turn; to twist hang (a criminal); to turn; to twist; to wind	to use up; to exhaust; to end to use up; to exhaust; to end; to finish; to the utmost; exhausted; finished; to the limit (of sth)	brains
trad. (絞盡腦汁)		絞	盡	腦汁
simp. (绞尽脑汁)		绞	尽	脑汁
Literally: “to squeeze out all the brain juice”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiǎojìnnǎozhī

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄋㄠˇ ㄓ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gaau² zeon⁶ nou⁵ zap¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): ká-chīn-náu-chiap

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiǎojìnnǎozhī
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄋㄠˇ ㄓ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiǎojìnnǎojhih
    • Wade–Giles: chiao³-chin⁴-nao³-chih¹
    • Yale: jyǎu-jìn-nǎu-jr̄
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jeaujinnnaojy
    • Palladius: цзяоцзиньнаочжи (czjaoczinʹnaočži)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹ nɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiǎojìnnǎozhīr
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄠˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄋㄠˇ ㄓㄦ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiǎojìnnǎojhihr
    • Wade–Giles: chiao³-chin⁴-nao³-chih¹-ʼrh
    • Yale: jyǎu-jìn-nǎu-jīr
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jeaujinnnaojel
    • Palladius: цзяоцзиньнаочжир (czjaoczinʹnaočžir)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹ nɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩ɻ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gaau² zeon⁶ nou⁵ zap¹
    • Yale: gáau jeuhn nóuh jāp
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gaau² dzoen⁶ nou⁵ dzap⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: gao² zên⁶ nou⁵ zeb¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaːu̯³⁵ t͡sɵn²² nou̯¹³ t͡sɐp̚⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ká-chīn-náu-chiap
    • Tâi-lô: ká-tsīn-náu-tsiap
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kafcixnnawciab
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ka⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin²²⁻²¹ nãu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡siap̚³²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ka⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡sin⁴¹⁻²² nãu⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡siap̚⁵/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ka⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin²²⁻²¹ nãu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡siap̚³²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ka⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin³³⁻¹¹ nãu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡siap̚³²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ka⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡sin³³⁻²¹ nãu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡siap̚³²/

Idiom

絞盡腦汁

1. to rack one's brain