克服 meaning in English

kèfú

(try to) overcome (hardships etc); to conquer

HSK 3verb15 strokes

Meaning of 克服

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

kèfú

(try to) overcome (hardships etc)
to conquer
to put up with
to endure

How to use 克服

克服 is a verb that takes abstract objects like 困难 (kùnnan, difficulties), 问题 (wèntí, problems), or 恐惧 (kǒngjù, fear). It can also mean putting up with a temporary inconvenience. Example: 我们一起克服困难。(Wǒmen yìqǐ kèfú kùnnan.) We will overcome the difficulties together.

克 (kè) means to overcome or prevail, and 服 (fú) means to submit, as in making something yield to you. Picture making a hardship 服 (fú) submit after you 克 (kè) beat it, and you get 克服 (kèfú), to overcome.

Common mistake: Learners often write 克服 when they mean defeating a person or team. For opponents use 打败 (dǎbài) or 战胜 (zhànshèng), because 克服 is for difficulties, habits and feelings. Also keep 服 in fourth-tone-free second tone fú. Do not read it with the neutral tone it has in 衣服 (yīfu).

克服 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

他tā帮bāng助zhù我wǒ克kè服fú了le困kùn难nán。

He helped me to get over the difficulties.

如rú何hé克kè服fú日rì元yuán升shēng高gāo是shì个gè大dà问wèn题tí。

How to overcome the high value of the yen is a big problem.

不bù管guǎn发fā生shēng了le什shén么me，我wǒ都dū会huì克kè服fú困kùn难nán的de。

No matter what happens, I will get through the difficulties.

你nǐ必bì须xū克kè服fú困kùn难nán。

You must overcome the difficulties.

我wǒ们men必bì需xū克kè服fú我wǒ们men所suǒ感gǎn到dào的de无wú助zhù。

We will have to get over the feeling of helplessness.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

克 kè · to be able to · 7 strokes

服 fú · clothes · 8 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 克服.

衣服	yīfu	clothes
舒服	shūfu	comfortable; feeling well
服务	fúwù	to serve; service
千克	qiānkè	kilogram
服装	fúzhuāng	dress; clothing
服务员	fúwùyuán	waiter; waitress
巧克力	qiǎokèlì	(loanword) chocolate
说服	shuōfú	to persuade; to convince
征服	zhēngfú	to conquer; to subdue
服从	fúcóng	to obey (an order); to comply
羽绒服	yǔróngfú	down jacket; down coat
制服	zhìfú	to subdue; to check

Questions about 克服

What does 克服 mean?

克服 (kèfú) means "(try to) overcome (hardships etc); to conquer" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 克服?

克服 is made of 2 characters: 克 (7 strokes), 服 (8 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.

Is 克服 an HSK word?

Yes. 克服 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 克服 and 战胜?

克服 (kèfú) is used for problems, weaknesses or bad habits. 战胜 (zhànshèng) means to defeat, and it works for enemies and opponents as well as abstract things like illness. For a rival team, say 战胜对手 (zhànshèng duìshǒu), not 克服对手.

How do I use 克服 to mean put up with something?

In casual speech, 克服一下 (kèfú yíxià) asks someone to bear a small inconvenience for a while. For example: 没有空调，大家克服一下。(Méiyǒu kōngtiáo, dàjiā kèfú yíxià.) There is no air conditioning, so please bear with it.