辛苦 xīnkǔ hard
hard; exhausting; toilsome; laborious
How to remember 辛苦: 辛 spicy + 苦 bitter = hard.
Characters
How it is used
- Hard / toilsome, and also a set phrase of thanks - 工作很辛苦 (gōngzuò hěn xīnkǔ) the work is grueling; 辛苦了! (xīnkǔ le) thanks for your hard work!
- As 辛苦了 or 辛苦你了 it acknowledges someone's effort/trouble on your behalf - a warm, common courtesy.
- Contrast 累 (lèi) 'tired' (the feeling); 辛苦 describes the laborious nature of the work and the sacrifice involved.
Example sentences
- 大家辛苦了！ Dàjiā xīnkǔ le!Good job, everyone!
- 他的工作很辛苦。 Tā de gōngzuò hěn xīnkǔ.His job is very arduous.
- 他们工作的很辛苦。 Tāmen gōngzuò de hěn xīnkǔ.They work really hard.