苦行 (kǔ xíng) — ascetic practices, self-mortification (for spiritual or religious purposes)

Definition

A noun for harsh self-discipline (fasting, isolation, bodily denial) pursued for spiritual or religious goals. Often used attributively, as in 苦行僧 ('ascetic monk') or 苦行的生活.

noun
ascetic practicesself-mortification (for spiritual or religious purposes)

Examples

  • ，苦行。
    Tā wèi le xiū xíng, xuǎn zé le kǔ xíng de shēng huó fāng shì.
    He chose an ascetic lifestyle for his spiritual practice.
  • 苦行。
    Xǔ duō zōng jiào dōu yǒu kǔ xíng de chuán tǒng.
    Many religions have a tradition of ascetic practices.
  • 。
    Zhè wèi kǔ xíng sēng yǐ jīng zài shān dòng lǐ zhù le shí nián.
    This ascetic monk has lived in a cave for ten years.

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kǔbitter/hard
行xíngpractice

苦 describes the austere nature of 行, giving ascetic practice.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.