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殚精竭虑

dān jīng jié lǜdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to exhaust one's thoughts and ingenuity (idiom) / to think sth through thoroughly / to rack one's brains / to leave no stone unturned
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-1ead513ead7dc128. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

殫精竭慮 殚精竭虑 [dan1 jing1 jie2 lu:4] /to exhaust one's thoughts and ingenuity (idiom); to think sth through thoroughly/to rack one's brains/to leave no stone unturned/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 殫精竭慮

  • 殚
    dān

    entirely / to exhaust

  • 精
    jīng

    essence / extract / vitality / energy / semen / sperm / mythical goblin spirit / highly perfected / elite / the pick of sth / proficient (refined ability) / extremely (fine) / selected rice (archaic)

  • 竭
    jié

    to exhaust

  • 虑
    lǜ

    to think over / to consider / anxiety

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.