摘要：As a single parent, she beats her brains out to balance work and childcare, often sacrificing her own rest.
beat your brains out
绞尽脑汁；反复推敲；拼命做某事；竭尽全力做某事
to think very hard about sth for a long time
字面意思：敲打脑袋，引申为：绞尽脑汁；反复推敲；竭尽全力做某事（尤指困难或徒劳的努力）。
在不同语境中，它既可以形容“拼命奋斗”的积极姿态，也能表达“白费力气”的无奈处境，甚至暗含“与难题死磕”的执着。例：
When his friend lost his job, he beat his brains out to help him network and land a new position.
朋友失业时，他拼尽全力帮其拓展人脉、找新工作。
They stood over him with clubs raised as if to beat his brains out.
他们举着棍子监视着他，好像要揍扁他的脑袋。（字面含义用法）《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》
As a single parent, she beats her brains out to balance work and childcare, often sacrificing her own rest.
作为单亲妈妈，她拼了命在工作与育儿间平衡，常常牺牲自己的休息时间。
She’s been beating her brains out to prepare for the exam while working full-time.
她一边全职工作，一边拼命备考。
For years, he beat his brains out decoding her every smile and text, only to realize she saw him as a friend.
多年来，他拼命解读她的每一个微笑和信息，最终却发现自己只是朋友。
He beat his brains out planning the perfect first date, balancing spontaneity with meticulous detail to avoid seeming desperate.
他为策划完美初次约会绞尽脑汁，在随性与细节间精准平衡，避免显得急切。
She beat her brains out writing heartfelt letters and revisiting old spots, but his emotional detachment was a fait accompli.
她拼命写情信、重访旧地，却敌不过他早已抽离的事实。
They beat their brains out maintaining a long-distance relationship, scheduling hourly video calls and sending care packages across continents.
他们为维系异地恋拼尽全力，跨时区安排 hourly 视频通话，寄送跨国爱心包裹。
After years of routine, they beat their brains out reigniting passion—attending couples’ retreats, learning new hobbies—only to realize authenticity matters more than tactics.
多年平淡后，他们拼命尝试重燃激情——参加夫妻 retreat、学习新爱好——最终明白真诚比技巧更重要。
She beat her brains out to save the relationship, but he had already checked out emotionally.
她拼命挽回这段感情，可他的心早已不在了。
Neuroscientists observe that when subjects beat their brains out on complex tasks, the prefrontal cortex exhibits hyperactivity.
神经学家观察到，当受试者为复杂任务殚精竭虑时，前额叶皮层呈现过度活跃状态。
CEOs who beat their brains out 24/7 often experience diminishing returns, as cognitive fatigue impairs decision-making.
全天候拼命工作的CEO常陷入“效率陷阱”，认知疲劳反而削弱决策质量。
In the pursuit of love, he beat his brains out to satisfy her every whim, only to become a "reliable备胎" in her utility calculus.
在求爱过程中，他耗尽心力满足她的每一个心血来潮，最终却沦为其“效用计算”中的“可靠备胎”。
Love is not about beating your brains out to fit someone’s mold, but about expanding together as parallel universes.
爱不是拼命迎合对方的模子，而是作为平行宇宙共同膨胀。
Successful couples design reciprocal effort protocols, ensuring neither party needs to beat their brains out alone in parenting or career support.
成功的伴侣会设计“努力互惠协议”，确保育儿或职业支持中无一方需独自殚精竭虑。
Elon Musk’s team beat their brains out on rocket reusability, but via rapid prototyping—not endless brainstorming.
埃隆·马斯克团队在火箭回收技术上的攻坚，依托的是快速原型测试——而非无休止的空想。
Top performers focus on beating their brains out where it creates asymmetric value, like negotiating a billion-dollar deal rather than perfecting a routine report.
顶级职场人聚焦于“创造非对称价值”的领域发力，例如谈判十亿美元级交易，而非精修日常报告。
Like Camus’ Sisyphus, those who beat their brains out without guarantees embody the dignity of conscious struggle.
如加缪笔下的西西弗斯，那些无结果保障却仍拼命者，诠释着“清醒抗争”的尊严。
We’ll beat our brains out to deliver this IPO on schedule.
我们将竭尽全力按计划进行首次公开募股。
He beat his brains out to finish the project on time, even pulling all-nighters.
他为了按时完成项目拼尽全力，甚至通宵达旦。
The startup beat its brains out to develop a breakthrough product before the rival company’s launch.
这家初创公司为了在竞争对手产品上市前推出颠覆性新品，拼到全员996。
They’ve been beating their brains out to resolve the conflict, but decades of habits make change nearly impossible.
夫妻俩拼命想解决矛盾，可几十年的习惯让改变难如登天。
Don’t beat your brains out over that problem—it’s not worth the stress.
别为那个问题白费力气了——不值得这么焦虑。
He beat his brains out to win back his ex, sending flowers daily and writing heartfelt letters, but she had already moved on.
他为了挽回前任拼尽全力，每天送花、写情信，可她早已释怀。
I’ve been beating my brains out trying to fix this machine, but it still doesn’t work.
我拼命想修好这台机器，可它还是坏的。
我拼了命想修好这台机器，可它还是纹丝不动。
In the competitive startup, everyone beats their brains out just to meet the unrealistic deadlines.
在竞争激烈的初创公司里，每个人都为了赶上不切实际的 deadlines 拼命工作。
As a PhD student, he often beats his brains out over complex equations for days on end.
作为博士生，他常常连续几天为复杂的方程式绞尽脑汁。
Mr. Darcy beats his brains out overcoming his pride to win Elizabeth, rewriting societal expectations through intentional vulnerability. 《傲慢与偏见》（简·奥斯汀）
达西先生为征服傲慢赢取伊丽莎白殚精竭虑，以“刻意示弱”重构社会期待。
Jane resists the urge to beat her brains out pleasing Mr. Rochester, asserting “I am my own mistress”—a declaration of emotional sovereignty. 《简爱》（夏洛蒂·勃朗特）
简·爱克制住“拼命讨好罗切斯特”的冲动，喊出“我是自己的主人”——情感主权的宣言。
Noah beats his brains out rebuilding the house for Allie, not as a gesture of possession but as a testament to unyielding love. 《恋恋笔记本》
诺亚为艾丽重建旧屋的拼命，不是占有欲的展演，而是爱之坚韧的见证。
The protagonist beats his brains out nurturing a relationship with an AI, illustrating the paradox of “effort without physical reciprocity.”
主角为与AI培养感情耗尽心力，诠释“无实体回应的努力”之悖论。《她》
Chris Gardner beats his brains out selling bone-density scanners while caring for his son, embodying the struggle of survival. 《当幸福来敲门》（The Pursuit of Happyness）
克里斯·加德纳一边拼命推销骨密度扫描仪，一边照顾儿子，诠释了生存的挣扎。
Professor Lambeau beats his brains out trying to connect with the genius but troubled Will Hunting. 《心灵捕手》（Good Will Hunting）
兰博教授拼命想走进天才却问题重重的威尔·杭汀的内心。
Ross beats his brains out to assemble the IKEA furniture, only to find he has extra screws left.
罗斯拼命组装宜家家具，结果发现多出了几颗螺丝。《老友记》
Richard beats his brains out to debug the algorithm, knowing the company’s fate depends on it.
理查德拼命调试算法，深知公司命运在此一举。《硅谷》（Silicon Valley）
Jeremy beats his brains out to win back Elizabeth, but she leaves town, symbolizing love’s irreparability. 《蓝莓之夜》（My Blueberry Nights）
杰瑞米拼命挽回伊丽莎白，可她仍远走他乡，隐喻爱情的覆水难收。
Su Mingyu beats her brains out to prove herself to her patriarchal family, only to realize self-acceptance matters more. 《都挺好》（英文译制版）
苏明玉拼命向重男轻女的家庭证明自己，最终才明白自我认同更重要。
New hires beat their brains out to meet unrealistic KPIs, reflecting the cruelty of corporate rat race. 《平凡的荣耀》（英文译制版）
新人拼了命完成不切实际的KPI，折射职场“老鼠赛跑”的残酷性。
Adam Neumann beats his brains out to scale WeWork, blurring the line between ambition and delusion. 《初创玩家》（WeCrashed）
亚当·诺依曼拼了命扩张WeWork，模糊了野心与妄想的边界。
综上所述，beat your brains out”始终是一面棱镜，折射出人类在不同战场的挣扎与坚持。它既是职场人的自嘲梗，也是创业者的墓志铭，更是普通人在生活夹缝中“不服输”的呐喊。或许我们终需明白：人生最动人的风景，不在“拼命到白头”的结果，而在“全力以赴过”的过程——无论输赢，你曾为某件事“beat your brains out”，便已活过一场滚烫的人生。
来源：翅膀英语一点号
