Zài jiānnánkùnkǔ de suìyuè lǐ, tāmen cóngwèi fàngqì xīwàng.
Through years of hardship and adversity, they never gave up hope.
Tips
history
From Li Lüyuan's 《歧路灯》 (Qing dynasty novel): "受过了艰难困苦，也就渐渐的明白过来" — having suffered hardship, one gradually comes to understand. The phrase piles up four synonyms for emphasis.
grammar
A stacked four-character compound: 艰难 (difficult) + 困苦 (suffering). Functions as a noun ("hardships") or describes life conditions.
