Definition
煞费苦心 is a fixed verb-object phrase (成语) meaning 'to take great pains' or 'to go to great lengths'. It describes the act of putting in tremendous mental effort or ingenuity to achieve something. While it is usually used as an inseparable unit, you can occasionally separate it with a measure word or duration, e.g. 煞费了一番苦心, to emphasize the extent of effort.
v.o.
to take great painsto go to great lengths (about doing something)
Examples
- ，煞费苦心。Wèile zhège xiàngmù, tā kěyǐ shuō shà fèi kǔ xīn.He can be said to have taken great pains for this project.
- 煞费苦心，。Fùmǔ wèile háizi de jiàoyù shà fèi kǔ xīn, xīwàng tāmen néng yǒu hǎo de wèilái.Parents take great pains for their children's education, hoping they can have a good future.
- 。Tā wèile zhè jiàn shì shà fèi le yì fān kǔ xīn.He went to great pains over this matter.
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