苦功 (kǔ gōng) — hard work, painstaking effort

Definition

Refers to the hard, sustained effort put into learning a skill — nearly always used in the set phrase 下苦功 ('put in painstaking effort'). Unlike plain 努力, it emphasizes tough, grinding practice over time.

noun

hard workpainstaking effort

Examples

。
Xué hǎo yì mén yǔ yán fēi xià kǔ gōng bù kě.
You must put in hard work to master a language.
苦功。
Tā huā le sān nián kǔ gōng cái xiě chū zhè běn shū.
He spent three years of painstaking effort to write this book.
苦功，？
Méi yǒu kǔ gōng, nǎ lái de chéng jiù?
Without hard work, how can there be achievement?

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