苦劳

苦勞
kǔláo
noun #68,309

Meanings

  1. 1 toil
  2. 2 hard work
  3. 3 drudgery (without much credit)

Examples

Méiyǒu gōngláo yě yǒu kǔláo.
Even if there's no merit, at least there's hard work.
Tā zài gōngsī duō nián, kǔláo bù shǎo.
He's been with the company for years and has put in plenty of toil.

Tips

culture
Almost always heard in the proverb 没有功劳苦劳 — contrasting 功劳 (gōngláo, achievement / credit) with 苦劳 (toil without visible result). Used to defend someone whose effort hasn't produced obvious wins.

Stroke Order

láo