刻苦 (kè kǔ) — hardworking; assiduous; diligent and persevering | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

刻苦 stresses perseverance through hardship (long hours, tough training), with a sense of self-discipline. 用功 is more about studying hard; 勤劳 is about being hardworking in labor and daily tasks.

adjective

hardworkingassiduousdiligent and persevering

Examples

刻苦，。
Tā cóng xiǎo jiù hěn kè kǔ, měi tiān xué xí dào hěn wǎn.
He has been very hardworking since childhood, studying until late every day.
刻苦，。
Jīng guò shí nián de kè kǔ xùn liàn, tā zhōng yú chéng wéi le yì míng yōu xiù de yùn dòng yuán.
After ten years of hard training, he finally became an outstanding athlete.
刻苦。
Zhè zhǒng kè kǔ zuān yán de jīng shén zhí dé wǒ men xué xí.
This spirit of assiduous study is worth learning from.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

刻kèstrict

刻 and 苦 both suggest strict, hard effort, giving hardworking.

Characters in this word

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

亥刂刻

Meaning part形符xíngfú

刂Written in full as刀dāo

Sound part声符shēngfú

亥

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

刻 is made of 刂, a form of 刀 (knife), and 亥, which gives the sound.

Most 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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 5 Personality & Traits

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