- 用尽心机 yòngjìnxīnjī to rack one's brainsTo try every possible means or tax one's ingenuity to the limit in order to achieve a goal
- 机关用尽 jīguānyòngjìn to exhaust every scheme; to rack one's brainsTo use up every possible clever plot or cunning strategy; often used in a negative sense to describe someone who has exhausted their wits in pursuit of gain [[费尽心机|費盡心機|fei4 jin4 xin1 ji1]]