冥思苦想 to ponder
Explanation
形容用心思考，费尽心思。
To describe thinking hard and painstakingly.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期，一位名叫李白的诗人，因思念故乡而辗转反侧，夜不能寐。他望着窗外皎洁的月光，思绪万千，脑海中浮现出家乡的山水田园，以及童年嬉戏的场景。他提笔欲赋诗一首，抒发胸中情怀，却怎么也写不出合适的语句。于是他便开始冥思苦想，从白天一直思考到黑夜。他时而伏案疾书，时而仰望星空，灵感如泉涌般地涌现出来，最后，他终于完成了一首感人肺腑的诗作，表达了他对故乡的思念之情。这首诗词，后来被世人传颂，成为千古绝唱。
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai, who was restless and could not sleep because he missed his hometown. He looked out the window at the bright moonlight, his thoughts were endless, and he saw the mountains and rivers of his hometown and the scenes of his childhood before his inner eye. He wanted to write a poem to express his feelings, but he just couldn't find the right words. So he began to think, from day to night. Sometimes he wrote feverishly at his desk, sometimes he looked at the starry sky. The inspiration flowed like a spring, and finally he completed a moving poem that expresses his longing for his hometown. This poem was later celebrated by the world and has become a classic work.
Usage
作谓语、宾语、状语；形容费尽心思地思考。
As predicate, object, adverbial; describes thinking hard about something.
Examples
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为了解决这个问题，他冥思苦想了一整夜。
wèi le jiějué zhège wèntí, tā míngsīkǔxiǎng le yì zhěngyè
He pondered over the problem all night to solve it.
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面对巨大的挑战，他冥思苦想，最终找到了解决方案。
miàn duì jùdà de tiǎozhàn, tā míngsīkǔxiǎng, zhōngyú zhǎodào le jiějué fāng'àn
Faced with a huge challenge, he pondered long and hard, and finally found a solution.
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考试前夕，他冥思苦想，试图记住所有的知识点。
kǎoshì qiányì, tā míngsīkǔxiǎng, shìtú jì zhù suǒyǒu de zhīshì diǎn
On the eve of the exam, he pondered over, trying to remember all the knowledge points.