| 苦不唧儿 | [ kǔ bu jī ] erhua variant of 苦不唧[ku3 bu5 ji1] |
| 苦中作乐 | [ kǔ zhōng zuò lè ] to find joy in sorrows (idiom); to enjoy sth in spite of one's suffering |
| 苦劳 | [ kǔ laó ] toil, hard work |
| 苦参 | [ kǔ shēn ] liquorice (Sophora flavescens), with roots used in TCM |
| 苦干 | [ kǔ gàn ] to work hard |
| 苦心孤诣 | [ kǔ xīn gū yì ] to make painstaking efforts (idiom); after much trouble, to work hard at sth |
| 苦心经营 | [ kǔ xīn jīng yíng ] to build up an enterprise through painstaking efforts |
| 苦闷 | [ kǔ mèn ] depressed, dejected, feeling low |
| 苦恼 | [ kǔ naǒ ] vexed, distressed |
| 苦战 | [ kǔ zhàn ] bitter struggle, hard battle, arduous effort |
| 苦于 | [ kǔ yú ] to suffer from (a disadvantage) |
| 苦况 | [ kǔ kuàng ] wretched state, miserable plight |
| 苦活儿 | [ kǔ huó ] erhua variant of 苦活[ku3 huo2] |
| 苦海无边，回头是岸 | [ kǔ haǐ wú biān huí toú shì àn ] The sea of bitterness has no bounds, turn your head to see the shore (idiom). Only Buddhist enlightenment can allow one to shed off the abyss of worldly suffering., Repent and ye shall be saved! |
| 苦涩 | [ kǔ sè ] bitter and astringent, pained, agonized |
| 苦瓜脸 | [ kǔ guā liǎn ] sour expression on one's face |
| 苦尽甘来 | [ kǔ jìn gān laí ] bitterness finishes, sweetness begins (idiom); the hard times are over, the good times just beginning |
| 苦窑 | [ kǔ yaó ] (slang) prison |
| 苦练 | [ kǔ liàn ] to train hard, to practice diligently, hard work, blood, sweat, and tears |
| 苦肉计 | [ kǔ roù jì ] the trick of injuring oneself to gain the enemy's confidence, CL:條|条[tiao2] |
| 苦胆 | [ kǔ dǎn ] gall bladder |
| 苦荬菜 | [ kǔ maǐ caì ] Ixeris denticulata |
| 苦处 | [ kǔ chu ] suffering, distress |
| 苦行赎罪 | [ kǔ xíng shú zuì ] penance (to atone for a sin) |
| 苦谏 | [ kǔ jiàn ] to admonish strenuously |
| 苦集灭道 | [ kǔ jí miè daò ] the Four Noble Truths (Budd.), namely: all life is suffering 苦[ku3], the cause of suffering is desire 集[ji2], emancipation comes only by eliminating passions 滅|灭[mie4], the way 道[dao4] to emancipation is the Eight-fold Noble Way 八正道[ba1 zheng4 dao4], also called 四諦|四谛[si4 di4] |
| 苦难 | [ kǔ nàn ] suffering |
| 苦难深重 | [ kǔ nàn shēn zhòng ] deep grief, extensive sorrow |
| 苦头 | [ kǔ tou ] sufferings |
| ⇒ 不胜其苦 | [ bù shèng qí kǔ ] unable to bear the pain (idiom) |
| ⇒ 不辞劳苦 | [ bù cí laó kǔ ] to spare no effort |
| ⇒ 不辞辛苦 | [ bù cí xīn kǔ ] to make nothing of hardships |
| ⇒ 倒悬之苦 | [ daò xuán zhī kǔ ] lit. the pain of being hanged upside down (idiom); fig. extremely critical situation, dire straits |
| ⇒ 备尝辛苦 | [ beì cháng xīn kǔ ] to have suffered all kinds of hardships (idiom) |
| ⇒ 刻苦学习 | [ kè kǔ xué xí ] to study hard, assiduous |
| ⇒ 刻苦耐劳 | [ kè kǔ naì laó ] to bear hardships and work hard (idiom); assiduous and long-suffering, hard-working and capable of overcoming adversity |
| ⇒ 刻苦钻研 | [ kè kǔ zuān yán ] to study diligently |
| ⇒ 劳心苦思 | [ laó xīn kǔ sī ] to rack one's brains, to think hard |
| ⇒ 劳苦 | [ laó kǔ ] to toil, hard work |
| ⇒ 勤奋刻苦 | [ qín fèn kè kǔ ] diligent, assiduous |
| ⇒ 勤学苦练 | [ qín xué kǔ liàn ] to study diligently, to train assiduously |
| ⇒ 千辛万苦 | [ qiān xīn wàn kǔ ] to suffer untold hardships (idiom); trials and tribulations, with difficulty, after some effort |
| ⇒ 叫苦连天 | [ kǔ lián tiān ] to whine on for days (idiom), to endlessly grumble complaints, incessant whining |
| ⇒ 吃得苦中苦，方为人上人 | [ chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ fāng weí rén shàng rén ] one cannot achieve glory and wealth without having been through trials and tribulations (proverb), no pain, no gain |
| ⇒ 吃得苦中苦，方为人上人 | [ chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ fāng weí rén shàng rén ] one cannot achieve glory and wealth without having been through trials and tribulations (proverb), no pain, no gain |
| ⇒ 吃苦耐劳 | [ chī kǔ naì laó ] hardworking and enduring hardships (idiom) |
| ⇒ 吃苦头 | [ chī kǔ tou ] to suffer, to suffer for one's actions, to pay dearly, to burn one's fingers |
| ⇒ 哑巴吃黄连，有苦说不出 | [ yǎ ba chī huáng lián yoǔ kǔ shuō bu chū ] to be forced to suffer in silence (idiom), unable to speak of one's bitter suffering, sometimes written 啞子吃黃連，有苦說不出|哑子吃黄连，有苦说不出 |
| ⇒ 埋头苦干 | [ maí toú kǔ gàn ] to bury oneself in work (idiom); to be engrossed in work, to make an all-out effort, up to the neck in work |
| ⇒ 坚苦卓绝 | [ jiān kǔ zhuó jué ] persisting despite trials and tribulations (idiom); conspicuous determination |
| ⇒ 学习刻苦 | [ xué xí kè kǔ ] to study hard, assiduous |
| ⇒ 小洞不补大洞吃苦 | [ dòng bù bǔ dà dòng chī kǔ ] A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); a stitch in time saves nine |
| ⇒ 凄苦 | [ qī kǔ ] bleak, miserable |
| ⇒ 愁眉苦脸 | [ choú meí kǔ liǎn ] to look anxious (idiom), to look miserable |
| ⇒ 爱别离苦 | [ aì bié lí kǔ ] (Buddhism) the pain of parting with what (or whom) one loves, one of the eight distresses 八苦[ba1 ku3] |
| ⇒ 忧苦以终 | [ yoū kǔ yǐ zhōng ] worried to death (idiom) |
| ⇒ 忆苦思甜 | [ yì kǔ sī tián ] to view one's past as miserable and one's present as happy (idiom) |
| ⇒ 忆苦饭 | [ yì kǔ fàn ] unsavory meal taken in remembrance of past hardships, fig. poor-tasting meal |
| ⇒ 有苦说不出 | [ yoǔ kǔ shuō bu chū ] having unspeakable bitter suffering, (often used after 啞巴吃黃連|哑巴吃黄连[ya3 ba5 chi1 huang2 lian2]) |
| ⇒ 浴血苦战 | [ yù xuè kǔ zhàn ] a blood soaked and hard-fought struggle (idiom) |
| ⇒ 凄风苦雨 | [ qī fēng kǔ yǔ ] lit. bleak wind and icy rain (idiom), fig. hardships, miserable circumstances |
| ⇒ 煞费苦心 | [ shà feì kǔ xīn ] to take a lot of trouble (idiom); painstaking, at the cost of a lot of effort |
| ⇒ 白胸苦恶鸟 | [ baí xiōng kǔ è ] (bird species of China) white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) |
| ⇒ 皇天不负苦心人 | [ huáng tiān bù fù kǔ xīn rén ] Heaven will not disappoint the person who tries (idiom). If you try hard, you're bound to succeed eventually. |
| ⇒ 矮脚苦蒿 | [ aǐ kǔ haō ] see 熊膽草|熊胆草[xiong2 dan3 cao3] |
| ⇒ 秘鲁苦蘵 | [ bì lǔ kǔ zhí ] Peruvian ground-cherry, cape gooseberry, Physalis peruviana |
| ⇒ 穷思苦想 | [ qióng sī kǔ xiǎng ] to think hard (idiom), to give sth much thought |
| ⇒ 穷苦 | [ qióng kǔ ] impoverished, destitute |
| ⇒ 红脚苦恶鸟 | [ hóng kǔ è ] (bird species of China) brown crake (Amaurornis akool) |
| ⇒ 脱离苦海 | [ tuō lí kǔ haǐ ] to escape from the abyss of suffering, to shed off a wretched plight |
| ⇒ 自讨苦吃 | [ zì taǒ kǔ chī ] to ask for trouble (idiom), to make a rod for one's own back |
| ⇒ 良药苦口 | [ liáng yaò kǔ koǔ ] good medicine tastes bitter (idiom); fig. frank criticism is hard to swallow |
| ⇒ 艰苦 | [ jiān kǔ ] difficult, hard, arduous |
| ⇒ 艰苦奋斗 | [ jiān kǔ fèn doù ] to struggle arduously |
| ⇒ 艰苦朴素 | [ jiān kǔ pǔ sù ] leading a plain, hardworking life (idiom) |
| ⇒ 万分痛苦 | [ wàn fēn tòng kǔ ] excruciating |
| ⇒ 装穷叫苦 | [ zhuāng qióng kǔ ] to feign and complain bitterly of being poverty stricken (idiom) |
| ⇒ 访贫问苦 | [ fǎng pín wèn kǔ ] to visit the poor and ask about their suffering (idiom) |
| ⇒ 诉苦 | [ sù kǔ ] to grumble, to complain, grievance |
| ⇒ 变苦 | [ biàn kǔ ] to sour, to turn sour, to curdle |
| ⇒ 贫苦 | [ pín kǔ ] poverty-stricken, poor |
| ⇒ 卖苦力 | [ maì kǔ lì ] to make a hard living as unskilled laborer |
| ⇒ 蹲苦窑 | [ dūn kǔ yaó ] (slang) to be behind bars |
| ⇒ 离苦得乐 | [ lí kǔ dé lè ] to abandon suffering and obtain happiness (Buddhism) |
