Definition
百思不得其解 is a four-character set phrase (chengyu) meaning 'to remain puzzled after much thought'. It describes a situation where, despite thinking hard about something, you still can't figure it out. The literal breakdown is 'a hundred thoughts cannot get its solution'. It's used in both spoken and written Chinese, often to express frustration or curiosity about a mystery.
f.e.
to remain puzzled after much ponderingto be unable to understand despite thinking hard
Examples
- 百思不得其解，？Zhège wèntí wǒ bǎi, nǐ néng bāng wǒ kànkan ma?I'm puzzled by this problem after much thought — can you take a look for me?
- ，百思不得其解。Tā wèishénme tūrán cízhí, dàjiā dōu bǎi.Everyone is puzzled about why he suddenly resigned.
- 百思不得其解，。Duì zhè jiàn shì wǒ bǎi, zhǐhǎo xiān fàng yí fàng.I can't figure this out no matter how hard I think, so I'll just set it aside for now.
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