惨淡经营 cǎndàn-jīnɡyínɡ idiom ① （指诗文创作） struggle to put together the plot of a story or the composition of a painting ② （指经营事业） take great pains to carry on one’s work under difficult circumstances ▸ 他惨淡经营的公司终于开始赢利了。 The company that he had struggled so hard to keep above water eventually began to make a profit. |