1.
to take pains; to make great effort; to go to trouble
An idiomatic expression meaning to exert considerable effort or go through hardship for someone or something. Implies the work is demanding and requires dedication.
彼のために骨を折った。
I went to great trouble for him.
交渉に骨を折ってくれた先輩に感謝している。
I'm grateful to the senior who went to great pains in the negotiations.
両親が骨を折って準備してくれたおかげで、結婚式は無事に終わった。
Thanks to my parents' painstaking preparations, the wedding went smoothly.
2.
to break a bone
The literal meaning of fracturing a bone in one's body.
転んで骨を折った。
I fell and broke a bone.
スキーで足の骨を折ってしまった。
I broke a bone in my leg while skiing.
階段から落ちて肋骨を折り、一か月入院することになった。
I fell down the stairs and broke a rib, and had to be hospitalized for a month.
USAGE:
The idiomatic sense (to take pains) is more common than the literal sense (to break a bone). When someone 骨を折る for you, it implies significant personal sacrifice or effort, and you are expected to show gratitude.
RELATED EXPRESSIONS:
- 骨折 (bone fracture — the medical noun)
- 骨折り損の草臥れ儲け (all that effort for nothing — a proverb)