脫層皮

Simplified: 脱层皮

tuōcéngpí ㄊㄨㄛ ㄘㄥˊ ㄆㄧˊ

    • to go through great hardship

Character by character

Saying俗语俗語

Idiom惯用语 · In everyday use

Literally
to shed a layer of skin
Meaning
To go through great hardship, short of death. Short for 不死也要脱层皮.

Sources