刻苦

kèkǔ

adjective HSK 7 #14,815

Meanings

1 hardworking; assiduous
2 painstaking

Characters

to carve; to engrave

bitter; hardship

Literally 'carving through bitterness' — the idea that hard work means enduring hardship.

Examples

她学习非常刻苦。

Tā xuéxí fēicháng kèkǔ.

She studies extremely hard.

只有刻苦训练才能取得好成绩。

Zhǐyǒu kèkǔ xùnliàn cáinéng qǔdé hǎo chéngjì.

Only through painstaking training can you achieve good results.

Tips

usage

刻苦 is always positive — it implies admirable dedication. The related phrase 刻苦耐劳 (kèkǔ nàiláo) means 'hardworking and able to endure hardship,' a quality highly valued in Chinese culture.

Stroke Order

刻 kè

苦 kǔ