Chinese word

苦心

Pronunciation

Pinyinkǔ xīn

Meaning

  • nounpainstaking effort

Example

他为这个项目付出了很多苦心。tā wèi zhè ge xiàng mù fù chū le hěn duō kǔ xīn

He put a lot of painstaking effort into this project.

Illustration for 苦心 (painstaking effort)

More examples

为了完成这份报告，他费尽了苦心。wèi le wán chéng zhè fèn bào gào tā fèi jǐn le kǔ xīn

To finish this report, he took great pains.

Core concept

Effort poured into a task through both hardship and careful thought.

Common phrases

  • 费尽苦心fèi jǐn kǔ xīn

    take great pains

Similar words

努力nǔ lì: The effort and persistence used to achieve a goal.
心思xīn sī: An idea about how to handle a task or situation.

Definition in Chinese

指为了完成某事在心里下很大功夫，既经历辛苦又经过周密思考与筹划的付出。zhǐ wèi le wán chéng mǒu shì zài xīn lǐ xià hěn dà gōng fū jì jīng lì xīn kǔ yòu jīng guò zhōu mì sī kǎo yǔ chóu huà de fù chū

Word origin

苦心 (kǔxīn, "painstaking effort") combines 苦 (kǔ, "hardship") + 心 (xīn, "mind"), framing hard work as something guided by sustained thought.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this noun often appears in formal descriptions of the planning and effort behind a successful result.

Other meanings

  • strugglenoun

Related words

  • 煞费苦心shà fèi kǔ xīntake great painsidiom

Word lists with this word