cudgel one 's brains for
As a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is sh ē ns ī K ǔ Su ǒ, meaning to rack one's brains and think hard. It comes from Shi sou Wai Bian er by Hu Yinglin of Ming Dynasty.
explain
Rack your brains and think hard.
source
In the second edition of shisou · waibian written by Hu Yinglin in Ming Dynasty, it is said that "the good sentences of Lingyun are full of deep thought."
cudgel one 's brains for
stick together and help each other in difficulties - xiāng yī wéi mìng
The government is clean and the people are harmonious - zhèng qīng rén hé