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千辛万苦 (qiān xīn wàn kǔ) — untold hardships, innumerable difficulties

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning countless hardships and difficulties, emphasizing the sheer volume of suffering endured. Often used with 经历 to describe overcoming adversity.

idiom
untold hardshipsinnumerable difficulties

Examples

  • 千辛万苦。
    Fù mǔ jīng lì le qiān xīn wàn kǔ cái bǎ wǒ men fǔ yǎng chéng rén.
    Our parents went through untold hardships to raise us.
  • 千辛万苦。
    Tā qiān xīn wàn kǔ dì zhǎo dào le shī sàn duō nián de qīn rén.
    He found his long-lost relatives after enduring countless hardships.
  • 千辛万苦。
    Zhè xiàng gōng chéng níng jù le gōng rén men de qiān xīn wàn kǔ.
    This project embodies the untold hardships of the workers.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

千辛countless hardships
千qiānthousand辛xīnhardship
偏正Modifier + head
万苦innumerable difficulties
万wànten thousand苦kǔhardship
偏正Modifier + head

千 and 万 mean extremely many, while 辛 and 苦 mean hardship; together they express untold difficulties.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
一一yīone, signifying a number
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén千qiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

千 pairs 人, whose sound was similar, with 一, a number stroke; the extra line was explained as extension, and a thousand is a number reached by extending counting.

Open 千 →

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 萬; 万 is its simplified writing.

For 万, the form 萬 was originally a picture of a scorpion, later borrowed for its sound to write 'ten thousand'; the scorpion picture is unrelated to that number.

Open 万 →

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 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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