| 脑袋 | nǎo dài | head / skull / brains / mental capability / CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |   |
| 头脑 | tóu nǎo | brains / mind / skull / (fig.) gist (of a matter) / leader / boss | |
| 脑子 | nǎo zi | brains / mind / CL:個|个[ge4] | |
| 脑筋 | nǎo jīn | brains / mind / head / way of thinking | |
| 心路 | xīn lù | scheme / artifice / tolerance / intention / motive / train of thought / brains / wit / ideas | |
| 脑浆 | nǎo jiāng | brains | |
| 脑汁 | nǎo zhī | brains | |
| 脑儿 | nǎo r | brains (as food) | |
| 髓脑 | suǐ nǎo | brains / gray matter | |
| 脑袋 | nǎo dai | head / skull / brains / mental capability / CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] | |
| 伤脑筋 | shāng nǎo jīn | to be a real headache / to find sth a real headache / to beat one's brains | |
| 绞尽脑汁 | jiǎo jìn nǎo zhī | to rack one's brains | |
| 动脑筋 | dòng nǎo jīn | to use one's brains / to think | |
| 挖空心思 | wā kōng xīn si | to dig for thoughts (idiom) / to search everything for an answer / to rack one's brains | |
| 费尽心机 | fèi jìn xīn jī | to rack one's brains for schemes (idiom) / to beat one's brains out | |
| 劳心 | láo xīn | to work with one's brains / to rack one's brains / to worry | |
| 冥思苦想 | míng sī kǔ xiǎng | to consider from all angles (idiom) / to think hard / to rack one's brains | |
| 苦思冥想 | kǔ sī míng xiǎng | to consider from all angles (idiom) / to think hard / to rack one's brains | |
| 殚精竭虑 | dān jīng jié lu:4 | to exhaust one's thoughts and ingenuity (idiom) / to think sth through thoroughly / to rack one's brains / to leave no stone unturned | |
| 搜肠刮肚 | sōu cháng guā dù | to search one's guts and belly (idiom) / to racks one's brains for a solution | |
| 劳心苦思 | láo xīn kǔ sī | to rack one's brains / to think hard | |
| 搜索枯肠 | sōu suǒ kū cháng | to rack one's brains (for apt wording etc) (idiom) | |
| 殚精极虑 | dān jīng jí lu:4 | to exhaust one's thoughts and ingenuity (idiom) / to think sth through thoroughly / to rack one's brains / to leave no stone unturned | |
| 脑子生锈 | nǎo zi shēng xiù | lit. brains rusty / ossified thinking | |
| 费尽心思 | fèi jìn xīn si | to rack one's brains (idiom) / to take great pains to think sth through | |
| 头脑简单四肢发达 | tóu nǎo jiǎn dān sì zhī fā dá | all brawn no brains | |
| 长记性 | zhǎng jì xing | (coll.) to learn one's lesson / to have enough brains to learn from one's mistakes | |
| 绞脑汁 | jiǎo nǎo zhī | to rack one's brains | |
