苦心

• Pinyin: kǔ xīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 苦 = 艹 + 古 (grass + old — bitter herb); 心 = 心 (heart — the seat of intention and effort)

Meaning

Painstaking effort; great pains; earnest intention. Refers to the dedicated effort and care invested in achieving something, often implying hardship or sacrifice.

Frequently appears in set phrases like 苦心经营 (to build up painstakingly), 苦心孤诣 (to work with painstaking effort and unique insight), and 一片苦心 (heartfelt good intentions). Can be used adverbially to mean 'painstakingly' or 'with great care.'

Examples

1. 老师的一片苦心终于没有白费，学生们在考试中取得了优异的成绩。 The teacher’s painstaking efforts were not in vain—his students achieved excellent results on the exam.
2. 他苦心经营这家企业二十余年，将其从一个小作坊发展成行业龙头。 He devoted himself to building this business for more than twenty years, growing it from a small workshop into an industry leader.
3. 父母的苦心往往要等到孩子长大成人后才能真正理解和感激。 Parents’ painstaking efforts are often only truly understood and appreciated after their children grow up.

Usage Guide

Context: effort, dedication, parenting, business

Tone: sympathetic

Do Say

• 她苦心钻研这门技艺长达十年，终于成为业内公认的顶尖专家。(She painstakingly studied this craft for ten years and finally became a recognised top expert in the industry.)
• 我能理解你的一片苦心，但有时候方式方法比出发点更加重要。(I can understand your heartfelt good intentions, but sometimes the approach and method are more important than the starting point.)

Don't Say

• 苦心很大 — unnatural collocation; use 费尽苦心 or 苦心很深 instead

Origin & History

苦 (bitter/hard) + 心 (heart/mind)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal