劳苦 (láo kǔ) — (noun) toil, hard work; (verb-object) to toil, to work hard

Definition

A formal/literary word for hard toil and hardship — stronger and more written than 辛苦 ('hard, toilsome' as everyday adjective). Often pairs with 功高 to praise someone's labor.

noun
toilhard work(verb-object) to toilto work hard

Examples

  • 劳苦。
    Láo dòng rén mín de láo kǔ shì zhí dé zūn jìng de.
    The toil of working people is worthy of respect.
  • ，。
    Láo le yí bèi zi de kǔ, tā zhōng yú yǒu le zì jǐ de fáng zi.
    He toiled his whole life and finally got his own house.
  • 劳苦，。
    Tā men zài zhè piàn tǔ dì shàng xīn kǔ láo kǔ, huàn lái fēng shōu.
    They toiled hard on this land and reaped a good harvest.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

劳láotoil
苦kǔhardship

劳 (toil) and 苦 (hardship) combine to mean hard work.

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.

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 →

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.

Open 苦 →

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