When we describe something as 艰苦 (jiān kǔ), we're talking about a situation, task, or environment that is genuinely tough and demanding. It implies a high degree of difficulty, often involving significant physical or mental exertion.
Think of it as facing a challenge where you really have to push yourself. For instance, you might say someone experienced 艰苦的生活 (jiān kǔ de shēng huó), meaning they lived a hard life, full of struggle.
It's often used to describe conditions in impoverished areas, during times of war, or when someone is undertaking a very demanding endeavor, like a long, difficult expedition.
The word carries a sense of enduring hardship and often resilience in the face of adversity. It's more than just 'difficult'; it suggests an arduous struggle.
艰苦 in 30 Sekunden
- difficult
- challenging
- strenuous
§ How to use 艰苦 (jiān kǔ) in a sentence
The Chinese adjective 艰苦 (jiān kǔ) means 'arduous' or 'difficult,' often implying a need for strenuous effort or perseverance. It's a B1-level word, so you'll hear it in many contexts describing challenging situations, work, or lives.
§ Basic Usage
You can use 艰苦 (jiān kǔ) directly before a noun or after verbs like 是 (shì) to describe something as arduous.
这是一项艰苦的工作。
- Translation hint
- This is an arduous job.
他们的生活很艰苦。
- Translation hint
- Their life is very difficult.
§ Modifying Nouns with 的 (de)
Like many adjectives, 艰苦 (jiān kǔ) can modify a noun using 的 (de) when the adjective-noun relationship is a bit more descriptive or emphasizes a quality.
他经历了许多艰苦的岁月。
- Translation hint
- He experienced many arduous years.
这是一场艰苦的战斗。
- Translation hint
- This was an arduous battle.
§ Common Collocations
You'll frequently find 艰苦 (jiān kǔ) used in specific phrases. Here are some key ones:
- 艰苦奋斗 (jiān kǔ fèn dòu)
- to struggle arduously; hard struggle
他们艰苦奋斗了十年。
- Translation hint
- They struggled arduously for ten years.
- 艰苦条件 (jiān kǔ tiáo jiàn)
- arduous conditions; harsh conditions
他在艰苦条件下工作。
- Translation hint
- He works under harsh conditions.
- 艰苦生活 (jiān kǔ shēng huó)
- arduous life; difficult life
他从小过着艰苦生活。
- Translation hint
- He has lived a difficult life since childhood.
- 艰苦训练 (jiān kǔ xùn liàn)
- arduous training; tough training
运动员们正在进行艰苦训练。
- Translation hint
- The athletes are undergoing tough training.
§ Using 艰苦 (jiān kǔ) with Adverbs
You can intensify or qualify 艰苦 (jiān kǔ) with adverbs like 很 (hěn - very), 非常 (fēi cháng - extremely), 相当 (xiāng dāng - quite), or 比较 (bǐ jiào - relatively).
这个过程非常艰苦。
- Translation hint
- This process is extremely arduous.
他度过了比较艰苦的一段时期。
- Translation hint
- He went through a relatively difficult period.
Wusstest du?
Both characters 艰 and 苦 are rich in meaning, and their pairing intensifies the concept of difficulty. 艰 often implies physical strain or obstacles, while 苦 leans towards emotional or experiential suffering. Together, they paint a comprehensive picture of 'arduousness' that includes both physical and mental challenges.
Beispiele nach Niveau
农民们正在艰苦地劳动。
Farmers are toiling arduously.
通过艰苦的努力，他最终实现了自己的梦想。
Through arduous effort, he finally realized his dream.
这是一项艰苦的任务，但我相信我们能完成它。
This is a difficult task, but I believe we can complete it.
她在艰苦的环境中成长，学会了坚韧不拔。
She grew up in a difficult environment and learned to be resilient.
登山是一项艰苦的运动，需要良好的体能。
Mountain climbing is an arduous sport that requires good physical fitness.
虽然学习过程很艰苦，但结果是值得的。
Although the learning process was arduous, the results were worthwhile.
他们经历了艰苦的谈判，才达成协议。
They went through arduous negotiations to reach an agreement.
这项工作需要艰苦的训练和丰富的经验。
This job requires strenuous training and rich experience.
经过多年的艰苦奋斗，他终于实现了自己的梦想。
After years of arduous struggle, he finally achieved his dream.
这项任务非常艰苦，需要团队成员付出巨大的努力。
This task is very difficult and requires great effort from team members.
虽然学习过程很艰苦，但他从没有放弃。
Although the learning process was arduous, he never gave up.
他们在一片贫瘠的土地上开始了艰苦的创业。
They started their arduous entrepreneurship on barren land.
运动员们为了比赛付出了艰苦的训练。
The athletes put in arduous training for the competition.
这次探险充满了艰苦和危险，但他们最终成功了。
This expedition was full of hardships and dangers, but they eventually succeeded.
他用自己的亲身经历讲述了那段艰苦的岁月。
He used his personal experience to tell about those difficult years.
克服生活中的艰苦是每个人成长的一部分。
Overcoming the hardships in life is part of everyone's growth.
Wortherkunft
Formed from 艰 (jiān, 'difficult, hard') and 苦 (kǔ, 'bitter, hard, suffering').
Ursprüngliche Bedeutung: The combination literally means 'difficult and bitter', conveying a sense of extreme hardship.
Sino-Tibetan, Sinitic, Chinese.Kultureller Kontext
When Chinese people use 艰苦, they often imply a spirit of resilience and perseverance. It's common to hear phrases like '艰苦奋斗' (jiān kǔ fèn dòu, 'struggle arduously') which reflects a cultural value placed on enduring hardship to achieve goals. This word often appears in historical contexts, describing periods of national struggle or personal overcoming, highlighting the importance of hard work and stoicism in Chinese culture.
Teste dich selbst 48 Fragen
这份工作很___，但是我喜欢。
The sentence means 'This job is very difficult, but I like it.' '艰苦' (jiānkǔ) means arduous or difficult, which fits the context. The other options do not make sense here.
学习汉语有时候会很___。
The sentence means 'Learning Chinese can sometimes be very difficult.' '艰苦' (jiānkǔ) means arduous or difficult, which is appropriate for describing a challenging aspect of learning. The other options don't fit the context.
他们过着___的生活。
The sentence means 'They live an arduous life.' '艰苦' (jiānkǔ) means arduous or difficult, which describes a challenging way of living. The other options do not fit the context.
他工作很___，但是他很努力。
The sentence means 'His work is very arduous, but he is very diligent.' '艰苦' (jiānkǔ) means arduous or difficult, which contrasts with his diligence. The other options don't make sense.
我们不怕___。
The sentence means 'We are not afraid of hardship.' '艰苦' (jiānkǔ) means arduous or difficult circumstances, which fits the idea of facing challenges. The other options are nouns that don't make sense in this context.
这是一个___的决定。
The sentence means 'This is an arduous decision.' '艰苦' (jiānkǔ) means difficult or demanding, which can describe a challenging decision. The other options do not fit the meaning.
Write a short sentence describing a difficult task you have done using '艰苦'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
学中文很艰苦，但是我喜欢。
Complete the sentence: 我的工作很___。
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
我的工作很艰苦。
Describe a time when you or someone you know experienced a '艰苦' situation.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
爬山很艰苦。
这个人怎么样？
Read this passage:
他每天学习汉语，非常努力。学习汉语是一个艰苦的过程。他不怕艰苦。
这个人怎么样？
Passage says '他每天学习汉语，非常努力。', which means he studies Chinese every day and is very diligent.
Passage says '他每天学习汉语，非常努力。', which means he studies Chinese every day and is very diligent.
说话人对工作的感觉是什么？
Read this passage:
这个工作很累，但是很有意思。虽然很艰苦，但我很高兴。
说话人对工作的感觉是什么？
The passage says '虽然很艰苦，但我很高兴。' (Although it's arduous, I'm very happy).
The passage says '虽然很艰苦，但我很高兴。' (Although it's arduous, I'm very happy).
他们的生活怎么样？
Read this passage:
他们住在一个小房子里，没有很多钱。他们的生活很艰苦。
他们的生活怎么样？
The passage explicitly states '他们的生活很艰苦。' (Their life is very arduous/difficult).
The passage explicitly states '他们的生活很艰苦。' (Their life is very arduous/difficult).
This exercise helps you understand the basic word order of a simple sentence describing something as 'arduous'.
This exercise focuses on using an adjective like '艰苦' to describe a noun, reinforced by the adverb '很' (very).
This exercise practices using '有点' (a little bit) to soften the intensity of the adjective '艰苦'.
The speaker is talking about a difficult period.
Listen for how the person feels about their arduous work.
The sentence describes climbing a mountain.
Read this aloud:
我从艰苦的训练中学会了坚持。
Focus: jiān kǔ
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
他们在艰苦的条件下完成了任务。
Focus: tiáo jiàn
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
生活虽然艰苦，但他们依然乐观。
Focus: yī rán lè guān
Du hast gesagt:
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This sentence describes the difficulty of life in mountainous areas. '山区' (mountainous area) is the subject, followed by '的' (possessive particle) and '生活' (life). '很' (very) modifies '艰苦' (arduous).
This sentence means 'This job is very arduous'. '这份工作' (this job) is the subject, '很' (very) modifies '艰苦' (arduous).
This sentence means 'His efforts are very arduous'. '他的努力' (his efforts) is the subject, '很' (very) modifies '艰苦' (arduous).
This job is very arduous, requiring great perseverance.
They went through an arduous training process.
He learned how to survive in difficult circumstances.
Read this aloud:
尽管条件艰苦，但我们从未放弃。
Focus: 艰苦 (jiān kǔ)
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
这次探险是一次艰苦的旅程。
Focus: 旅程 (lǚ chéng)
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
他通过艰苦的努力获得了成功。
Focus: 努力 (nǔ lì)
Du hast gesagt:
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她经历了一段___的童年，很早就学会了独立。
Contextually, '艰苦' (arduous/difficult) fits best to describe a challenging childhood that led to early independence.
登山队员们克服了高山上的___条件，最终成功登顶。
Mountaineers face '艰苦' (arduous/difficult) conditions, not comfortable or superior ones.
为了完成这个项目，团队成员们付出了___的努力。
While '巨大' (great) effort is possible, '艰苦的努力' (arduous effort) emphasizes the strenuous and difficult nature of the work, fitting the word's meaning.
在战争时期，人们的生活通常是富裕而安逸的。
On the contrary, wartime life is often '艰苦' (arduous/difficult), characterized by hardship and struggle, not affluence and ease.
完成一项具有挑战性的马拉松比赛，可以被描述为一项艰苦的成就。
Running a challenging marathon involves '艰苦' (strenuous/arduous) effort and is a difficult achievement.
学习一门新语言是一个轻松愉快的旅程，不需要付出艰苦的努力。
Learning a new language often requires '艰苦的努力' (arduous effort) and perseverance, especially at advanced levels, and is not always easy.
The task is difficult, but we must face it head-on.
He looked back at those arduous years, filled with emotion.
The initial stage of starting a business is always the most difficult, but as long as you persevere, you will see the dawn.
Read this aloud:
描述一次你经历过的艰苦的挑战，以及你是如何克服的。
Focus: 艰苦 (jiān kǔ)
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
你认为在现代社会中，人们所面临的最艰苦的挑战是什么？
Focus: 面临 (miàn lín)
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
请用“艰苦”来造一个关于团队合作的句子。
Focus: 团队合作 (tuán duì hé zuò)
Du hast gesagt:
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Summary
艰苦 describes things that are very hard and require a lot of effort, like a tough journey or difficult living conditions.
- difficult
- challenging
- strenuous
Verwandte Inhalte
Mehr general Wörter
一下儿
A1a bit, a moment
点儿
A1a little bit
有点儿
A1a little, somewhat (negative connotation)
一下
A2A bit; a moment (used after a verb).
一点儿
A1a little, a bit
一会儿
A1a moment, a while
一部分
B1part; portion; minority
异样
B1different; unusual; strange
关于
A1about, concerning
快要
A2to be about to (happen)
