吃苦
chī kǔ HSK 6

English Meaning

Categories

📚 Example Sentences

年轻人应该学会吃苦。
Niánqīng rén yīnggāi xuéhuì chīkǔ.
Young people should learn to endure hardship.
他为了成功愿意吃苦。
Tā wèile chénggōng yuànyì chīkǔ.
He is willing to bear hardships for success.
创业初期需要吃苦。
Chuàngyè chūqī xūyào chīkǔ.
The early stage of entrepreneurship requires enduring hardship.
他愿意吃苦。
Tā yuànyì chīkǔ.
He is willing to endure hardship.
她能吃苦。
Tā néng chīkǔ.
She can bear hardships.

💡 Memory Tip

Think of 吃苦 as 'eating bitterness'—imagine literally eating something bitter to train yourself to handle life's bitter challenges. The vivid imagery links the literal characters (吃 'eat' + 苦 'bitter') to the figurative meaning of enduring tough times.

📝 Usage Notes

Common in both spoken and written Chinese, it is neutral in formality. It is frequently used in contexts like education, work, personal development, and historical narratives to discuss resilience. Often appears in phrases encouraging perseverance or comparing generational attitudes toward hardship.

📖 Grammar Points

Often used with modal verbs like 能, 会, 可以, or 不了 to indicate ability/inability (e.g., 能吃苦 'can bear hardships'). Can function as a verb-object phrase where 吃 literally means 'to eat' but here figuratively means 'to endure,' and 苦 means 'hardships.'

🏯 Cultural Notes

Deeply rooted in Chinese culture, 吃苦 is associated with traditional values of hard work, resilience, and the belief that enduring difficulties leads to personal growth and success. It is often invoked in discussions about generational differences, as seen in the example sentence where older generations perceive younger ones as less willing to endure hardship.

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 受苦 (shòukǔ), which means 'to suffer' in a more passive or involuntary sense, 吃苦 emphasizes active endurance, often for a purpose. 忍受 (rěnshòu) means 'to tolerate' more broadly, not specifically hardships.

Master this word with quizzes, flashcards & more

Learn 吃苦 in CILI →

Related Words