Meaning of 辛苦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- exhausting
- hard
- tough
- arduous
- to work hard
- to go to a lot of trouble
- hardship(s)
How to use 辛苦
辛苦 describes work or a life that is hard and tiring, and it is also a very common polite phrase to thank someone for their effort. People say 辛苦了 (xīnkǔ le) to a colleague, a delivery driver, or a parent. Example: 你今天辛苦了。(Nǐ jīntiān xīnkǔ le.) You worked hard today, thank you.
辛 (xīn) means pungent or spicy, and 苦 (kǔ) means bitter. Put two harsh tastes together and you get the feeling of hard, tiring work.
Common mistake: Learners often use 辛苦 where 困难 (kùnnan) fits better. 辛苦 means tiring and laborious, not intellectually difficult, so say 这道题很难, not 这道题很辛苦. Also keep 辛 in the first tone. It is not the fourth-tone 信 (xìn).
辛苦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
辛 xīn · bitter · 7 strokes
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苦 kǔ · bitter · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 辛苦.
| 痛苦 | tòngkǔ | pain; suffering |
| 艰苦 | jiānkǔ | difficult; hard |
| 酸甜苦辣 | suān-tián-kǔ-là | (lit.) sour, sweet, bitter and spicy (idiom); (fig.) all kinds of flavors; the joys and so |
| 受苦 | shòukǔ | to suffer hardship |
| 苦难 | kǔnàn | suffering |
| 苦恼 | kǔnǎo | vexed; distressed |
| 艰辛 | jiānxīn | hardships; arduous |
| 挖苦 | wāku | to speak sarcastically; to make cutting remarks |
| 何苦 | hékǔ | why bother?; is it worth the trouble? |
| 苦力 | kǔlì | bitter work; hard toil |
| 刻苦 | kèkǔ | hardworking; assiduous |
| 吃苦 | chīkǔ | to bear hardships |
Questions about 辛苦
What does 辛苦 mean?
辛苦 (xīnkǔ) means "exhausting; hard" and is used as a adjective and verb.
How do you write 辛苦?
辛苦 is made of 2 characters: 辛 (7 strokes), 苦 (8 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 辛苦 an HSK word?
Yes. 辛苦 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I respond when someone says 辛苦了 to me?
A common modest reply is 不辛苦 (bù xīnkǔ) or 还好 (hái hǎo), meaning it was no trouble. You can also say 你也辛苦了 (nǐ yě xīnkǔ le) to return the thanks.
What is the difference between 辛苦 and 艰苦?
辛苦 focuses on the effort and tiredness a person feels, and it works as a polite thank you. 艰苦 (jiānkǔ) describes harsh, poor conditions, such as 艰苦的环境 (a tough environment), and it is not used to thank people.