艰苦创业

艱苦創業
jiānkǔ-chuàngyè
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to build a business through hardship
  2. 2 to pioneer an undertaking with great effort
  3. 3 arduous entrepreneurship

Examples

HSK 3
Jīngguò shí nián jiānkǔ-chuàngyè, tā zhōngyú chénggōng le.
After ten years of arduous entrepreneurship, he finally succeeded.
HSK 3
Zhè jiā gōngsī shì fùqīn jiānkǔ-chuàngyè liúxiàlái de.
This company is what my father built through years of hardship.
HSK 5
Lǎoyíbèi jiānkǔ-chuàngyè de jīngshén zhíde wǒmen xuéxí.
The older generation's spirit of building through hardship is worth learning from.

Tips

usage
Strongly positive - highlights perseverance through hardship in founding a business, institution, or nation. Common in company origin stories, family history, and national narratives. Often paired with 勤俭 (diligent and thrifty) or 奋斗 (struggle).
grammar
Two compound verbs joined: 艰苦 (to endure hardship, adverbial) + 创业 (to start an enterprise). The pattern [adverbial chengyu] + [verb-object chengyu] is productive: 艰苦奋斗, 勤俭创业, etc.

Stroke Order

jiān
chuàng