辛酸

• Pinyin: xīn suān
• Hanzi breakdown: 辛 = represents hardship and toil; 酸 = 酉 + 夋 (fermented sourness, extended to sorrow)

Meaning

Bitter and sad; full of hardship and suffering. Describes life experiences marked by pain, toil, and sorrow endured over time.

Broader than 心酸, 辛酸 emphasises the bitterness of hardship sustained over time. Common in autobiography, social commentary, and expressions of empathy.

Examples

1. 她的自传写满了童年的辛酸与成年后的奋斗历程。 Her autobiography is filled with the bitterness of her childhood and the struggles of her adult life.
2. 这位老工人回忆起那段辛酸岁月，眼里泛起了泪光。 When the elderly worker recalled those hard years, his eyes welled with tears.
3. 背井离乡的生活充满了辛酸，但他从未想过放弃。 Living far from home was full of hardship, but he never once thought of giving up.

Usage Guide

Context: autobiography, social commentary, personal expression, literature

Tone: sorrowful

Do Say

• 那一代移民所经历的辛酸，是难以用语言完整描述的，只有亲历者才能真正体会其中的滋味。(The bitterness and hardship experienced by that generation of immigrants is difficult to describe fully in words — only those who lived through it can truly understand what it felt like.)
• 她不愿向子女诉说自己年轻时的辛酸，只是希望他们能够好好珍惜眼前来之不易的生活。(She was unwilling to recount her years of hardship and suffering to her children, hoping only that they would cherish the hard-won life they now enjoyed.)

Don't Say

• 这道菜很辛酸 — 辛酸 describes emotional bitterness, not flavour; say 这道菜很酸 for sour taste

Origin & History

辛 (hardship) + 酸 (sour/sorrowful) — bitter toil that leaves a sour, painful taste

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal