死馬當活馬醫

lit. to give medicine to a dead horse (idiom) / fig. to keep trying everything in a desperate situation

to die / impassable / uncrossable / inflexible / rigid / extremely / damned

to live / alive / living / work / workmanship

surname Ma / abbr. for Malaysia 馬來西亞|马来西亚[Ma3 lai2 xi1 ya4]

horse / CL:匹[pi3] / horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess / knight in Western chess

to be / to act as / manage / withstand / when / during / ought / should / match equally / equal / same / obstruct / just at (a time or place) / on the spot / right / just at

at or in the very same... / suitable / adequate / fitting / proper / to replace / to regard as / to think / to pawn / (coll.) to fail (a student)

medical / medicine / doctor / to cure / to treat