📖 Meaning
To think deeply and painstakingly about something, racking one's brain for an answer or idea. It describes the intense mental effort exerted when trying to solve a difficult problem or devise a creative solution.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a modern compound combining 冥思 (to think deeply) and 苦想 (to ponder bitterly). It does not trace back to a single classical text but has been widely used in vernacular Chinese literature and everyday speech. The term emphasizes the arduous, almost painful nature of concentrated thought, where one searches relentlessly for an idea or solution.
💡 Example Usage
他冥思苦想了一整夜，终于想出了这道难题的解法。
He racked his brain all night and finally came up with a solution to the difficult problem.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 冥思苦想
- Pinyin: míng sī kǔ xiǎng
- Literal Translation: deep, think, bitter, think
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4