Definition
苦果 literally means 'bitter fruit' and is used as a fixed metaphor for a painful or disastrous consequence that one is forced to accept, often because of one's own past actions. It is a noun that typically appears as the object of verbs like 吞食 (swallow), 自尝 (taste oneself), or 承担 (bear). The English gloss 'insult and injury' is a loose equivalent; the core sense is 'a bitter outcome' rather than a double insult.
n.
bitter consequence (figurative)painful outcome that one must accept
Examples
- ，苦果。Tā niánqīng shí fàn xià de cuòwù, rújīn zhǐ néng zì cháng kǔ guǒ.The mistakes he made in his youth, now he can only taste the bitter fruit himself.
- ，苦果。Gōngsī juécè shīwù, zuìzhōng quántǐ yuángōng chéngdān le kǔ guǒ.The company's wrong decisions ultimately made all employees bear the bitter consequences.
- 苦果，。Zhè chǎng zhànzhēng dài lái de kǔ guǒ, ràng liǎng guó rénmín tòngkǔ le jǐ shí nián.The bitter fruit brought by this war caused the people of both countries pain for decades.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.