煞费苦心 shà fèi kǔ xīn

DEFINITIONS

  1. to take a lot of trouble (idiom); painstaking
  2. at the cost of a lot of effort

CHARACTERS

煞 shà malignant deity; baleful, noxious; strike dead
费 fèi
HSK 4
expenses, expenditures, fee
苦 kǔ
HSK 4
bitter; hardship, suffering
心 xīn
HSK 3
heart; mind, intelligence; soul