慘淡經營 cǎn dàn jīng yíng

DEFINITIONS

  1. to manage by painstaking effort (idiom)

CHARACTERS

慘 cǎn sad, pitiful, wretched; cruel
淡 dàn
HSK 5
weak, watery; insipid, tasteless
經 jīng classic works; pass through
營 yíng encampment, barracks; manage