苦心

kǔ xīn

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Noun Rare

Definitions

1. painstaking effort
2. to take a lot of trouble
3. laborious at pains

Word relationships

Related words

3 items

• 辛勤 xīn qín 辛勤 xīn qín hardworking 辛勤 is an adjective describing diligent and hardworking effort, related to the concept of 苦心.: hardworking
• 劳苦 láo kǔ 劳苦 láo kǔ to toil 劳苦 refers to toil and hardship, connected to the arduous effort implied by 苦心.: to toil
• 钻研 zuān yán 钻研 zuān yán to study meticulously 钻研 means to study intensively, reflecting the meticulous effort of 苦心.: to study meticulously

Synonyms

1 item

• 心血 xīn xuè 心血 xīn xuè heart's blood Both 苦心 and 心血 refer to painstaking effort and dedication, often used in similar contexts of hard work and emotional investment.: heart's blood

Usage notes

Collocations

Often paired with verbs like 费 (to expend) or 煞费 (to rack one's brains), e.g., 煞费苦心 (to take great pains).

Formality

Used in formal and literary contexts; can convey a sense of deep, earnest effort.

Example Sentences

1 shown

他为这件事煞费 苦心 。

He went to great pains over this matter.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 苦心

• 煞费苦心 煞费苦心 shà fèi kǔ xīn: to take a lot of trouble (idiom); painstaking
• 皇天不负苦心人 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.
• 苦心孤诣 苦心孤诣 kǔ xīn gū yì: to make painstaking efforts (idiom); after much trouble
• 苦心经营 苦心经营 kǔ xīn jīng yíng: to build up an enterprise through painstaking efforts

Child Words of 苦心

• 心 心 xīn: heart
• 苦 苦 kǔ: bitter