不辞辛劳 (bù cí xīn láo) — to spare no effort; to work hard without complaint

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning 'to spare no effort' — emphasizes working hard without complaint or shirking. Used in writing, reports, and praise, especially for dedicated workers, teachers, or volunteers.

idiom
to spare no effortto work hard without complaint

Examples

  • 不辞辛劳，。
    Tā bù cí xīn láo dì gōng zuò, zhōng yú wán chéng le zhè ge xiàng mù.
    He worked tirelessly and finally completed this project.
  • 不辞辛劳，。
    Zhì yuàn zhě men bù cí xīn láo, wèi zāi qū rén mín sòng qù le wēn nuǎn.
    The volunteers spared no effort to bring warmth to the disaster-stricken people.
  • 不辞辛劳，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo shī bù cí xīn láo, péi yǎng le yí dài yòu yí dài xué shēng.
    This teacher worked tirelessly, nurturing generation after generation of students.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

不辞not decline
不bùnot辞cídecline
偏正Modifier + head
辛劳toil and hardship
辛xīnhardship劳láotoil
联合Side by side

不辞 and 辛劳 combine as not decline toil, so one works hard without complaint.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 辞 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The oldest forms of 辛 drew a newly grown tree shoot. The shape was later also read as a sharp marking tool, but that reading may come from confusing it with another character.

Open 辛 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 勞; 劳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
𬡤
𬡤𬡤勞láo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 勞 uses 力 for the meaning and 𬡤 for the sound; the simplified 劳 is a later shortened shape.

Open 劳 →

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