Chinese word

吃苦

Pronunciation

Pinyinchī kǔ

Meaning

  • verbendure hardship

Example

为了将来，他愿意吃苦。wèi le jiāng lái tā yuàn yì chī kǔ

He is willing to endure hardship for his future.

Illustration for 吃苦 (endure hardship)

More examples

很多成功者都肯吃苦。hěn duō chéng gōng zhě dōu kěn chī kǔ

Many successful people are willing to endure hardship.

Core concept

Progress toward a valued goal continues even when the work is exhausting or unpleasant.

Common phrases

  • 肯吃苦kěn chī kǔ

    be willing to endure hardship

  • 不怕吃苦bú pà chī kǔ

    not be afraid of hardship

  • 愿意吃苦yuàn yì chī kǔ

    be willing to endure hardship

Similar words

受苦shòu kǔ: Suffer through painful or difficult experiences.
忍受rěn shòu: Put up with something unpleasant or painful without giving in.
忍耐rěn nài: Keep enduring difficult conditions with patience.

Definition in Chinese

为达到目标主动忍受艰难和辛苦，接受劳累或不适继续努力的行为或态度。wèi dá dào mù biāo zhǔ dòng rěn shòu jiān nán hé xīn kǔ jiē shòu láo lèi huò bú shì jì xù nǔ lì de xíng wéi huò tài dù

Word origin

吃 (chī, "eat") + 苦 (kǔ, "bitterness") uses the ordinary act of eating as a metaphor for accepting and living through difficult conditions.

Usage tips

  • The phrase commonly appears when people describe work habits or personal strengths, so it can sound like a positive assessment rather than a complaint about a difficult situation.

Opposites

Related words

  • 吃苦耐劳chī kǔ nài láoendure hardship and work hardidiom
  • 吃苦头chī kǔ tóusuffer a bitter experienceverb

Word lists with this word