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挖空心思

Mandarin · pinyin wā kōng xīn si

to dig for thoughts (idiom); to search everything for an answer
to rack one's brains

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Characters in this entry

挖: wā · dig, dig out, gouge out, scoop
空: kōng · empty, hollow, bare, deserted
心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
思: sī · think, consider, ponder; final particle

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Mandarin tones

1–1–1–5 · wa1 kong1 xin1 si5

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

(usually derogatory) to rack one's brains; to search everything for an answer

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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