Chinese word

刻苦

Pronunciation

Pinyinkè kǔ

Meaning

  • adjectivehardworking

Example

她工作很刻苦。tā gōng zuò hěn kè kǔ

She works very hard.

Illustration for 刻苦 (hardworking)

More examples

运动员为了备战每天都刻苦训练。yùn dòng yuán wèi le bèi zhàn měi tiān dōu kè kǔ xùn liàn

Athletes train hard every day to prepare for competition.

Core concept

A person treats hardship as part of the long effort needed to reach a goal.

Common phrases

  • 刻苦学习kè kǔ xué xí

    study hard

  • 刻苦训练kè kǔ xùn liàn

    train hard

  • 刻苦工作kè kǔ gōng zuò

    work hard

  • 很刻苦hěn kè kǔ

    very hardworking

Similar words

勤奋qín fèn: Diligent and eager in work or study.
努力nǔ lì: Putting great effort into reaching a goal.
用功yòng gōng: Diligent and hardworking in schoolwork.

Definition in Chinese

形容人为达成目标长期承受辛苦而努力的品质或状态。xíng róng rén wéi dá chéng mù biāo cháng qī chéng shòu xīn kǔ ér nǔ lì de pǐn zhì huò zhuàng tài

Word origin

刻 (kè, "carve") + 苦 (kǔ, "suffering") links the painstaking act of carving with bitter hardship, expressing effort sustained through difficulty.

Usage tips

  • The word praises the effort itself rather than the result, so it can apply even when the goal has not yet been achieved.

Opposites

Related words

  • 刻苦耐劳kè kǔ nài láohardworking and able to endure hardshipidiom

Word lists with this word