伤脑筋 (shāngnǎojīn) · to be a headache

伤脑筋 (shāngnǎojīn) means “to be a headache; troublesome”. It is written with 3 characters: 伤 (injury) + 脑 (brain) + 筋 (muscles). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).

How 伤脑筋 is built

The characters

伤 shāng · injury

What 伤 is made of

亻rén — person
力lì — power
- 丿 — falling stroke

脑 nǎo · brain

What 脑 is made of

⺼ — meat
亠tóu — lid
- 丶 — dot
- 一 — horizontal stroke
凶xiōng — culprit
- 凵qiǎn — container
- 乂yì — crossed strokes
  - 丿 — falling stroke

Origin hint: flesh (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

筋 jīn · muscles

What 筋 is made of

⺮zhú — bamboo
肋lē — ribs
- ⺼ — meat
- 力lì — strength
  - 丿 — falling stroke

Example sentences

这个问题真让人伤脑筋。Zhège wèntí zhēn ràng rén shāngnǎojīn.This problem is a real headache.

找房子是件伤脑筋的事。Zhǎo fángzi shì jiàn shāngnǎojīn de shì.Finding a flat is a real headache.

Questions about 伤脑筋

What does 伤脑筋 mean?

伤脑筋 (shāngnǎojīn) means “to be a headache; troublesome”.

How do you pronounce 伤脑筋?

伤脑筋 is pronounced shāngnǎojīn.

Which HSK level is 伤脑筋?

伤脑筋 is in Old HSK 6.

Related words

Learn 伤脑筋 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 157: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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