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苦练 (kǔ liàn) — to practice diligently, to train hard

Definition

苦练 means 'to train hard' — the 苦 emphasizes the hardship and discipline of the practice. Compared to plain 练习 (routine practice), 苦练 implies long, grueling effort to master a skill.

verb
to practice diligentlyto train hard

Examples

  • 苦练。
    Tā měi tiān kǔ liàn liǎng gè xiǎo shí gāng qín.
    He practices the piano diligently for two hours every day.
  • 苦练，。
    Jīng guò sān nián kǔ liàn, tā zhōng yú chéng le zhuān yè yùn dòng yuán.
    After three years of hard training, he finally became a professional athlete.
  • ，苦练。
    Yào xiǎng xué hǎo shū fǎ, bì xū kǔ liàn jī běn gōng.
    To learn calligraphy well, you must practice the basics diligently.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

苦kǔhard
练liànpractice

苦 (hard) and 练 (practice) mean practicing with great effort.

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
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 →

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 練; 练 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
柬
柬jiǎn練liàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 練 has 糸, silk, and 柬, which gives the sound. The simplified 练 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not historical.

Open 练 →
Appears in
Sports & Athletics

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