苦心

kǔxīn

noun HSK 7-9 #33,769

Meanings

1 painstaking effort
2 great pains
3 dedication

Characters

bitter; painstaking

Examples

父母的苦心，孩子长大后才会明白。

Fùmǔ de kǔxīn, háizi zhǎngdà hòu cái huì míngbái.

Children only understand their parents' painstaking efforts after they grow up.

他苦心经营这家店已经十年了。

Tā kǔxīnjīngyíng zhèjiā diàn yǐjīng shínián le.

He has painstakingly run this shop for ten years.

Tips

memory

Bitter (苦) + heart (心) = a heart that endures bitterness, i.e. painstaking dedication and effort.

Stroke Order

苦 kǔ

心 xīn