苦 (kǔ) — bitter (taste); hard, painful, difficult (life, experience, work)
Definition
Bitter (taste) and, figuratively, hard or painful (life, work, experience). 痛苦 focuses on emotional or physical suffering; 艰苦 stresses tough external conditions.
adjective
bitter (taste)hardpainfuldifficult (life, experience, work)
Examples
- 苦。Zhè zhǒng yào hěn kǔ.This kind of medicine is very bitter.
- 苦，。Tā de shēng huó hěn kǔ, dàn shì hěn kuài lè.His life is hard, but he is very happy.
- 苦，。Tā gōng zuò hěn kǔ, měi tiān dōu hěn wǎn huí jiā.Her work is hard; she comes home very late every day.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ苦kǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.
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