kam1 nam2禁諗禁谂

Jyutpingkam1 nam2

Yalekām nám

Definition

To rack one's brains; to spend great effort thinking about something.

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How it's used

This phrase is used to describe a state of intense, often exhausting mental effort. It carries a sense of frustration or being stuck, implying that the person has been thinking for a long time without finding a solution. It is almost exclusively used in spoken Cantonese to emphasize the difficulty of a cognitive task.

Examples

le1呢gin2件si6事nam2諗dou3到ngo5我kam1禁nam2諗aa4呀。

I've been racking my brains over this matter.

nei5你sai2使m4唔sai2使kam1禁nam2諗aa4呀？

Do you really need to rack your brains that hard?

Common phrases

nam2諗dou3到kam1禁nam2諗

to think until one's brain is exhausted

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for a standard verb phrase, but it is highly colloquial and specific to situations involving mental struggle. Avoid using it in formal writing or professional contexts where a more neutral term like 諗清楚 is preferred.