chīkǔnàiláo: 吃苦耐劳 - Hardworking and Enduring of Hardship

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• Summary: Discover the meaning of 吃苦耐劳 (chīkǔnàiláo), a core Chinese idiom that translates to “to be able to eat bitterness and endure labor.” This page provides a deep dive into this fundamental concept of the Chinese work ethic, which praises the virtue of being hardworking and persevering, especially in the face of adversity. We break down the characters, explore the profound cultural significance, and provide dozens of practical examples to help you understand why being 吃苦耐劳 is one of the most respected qualities in Chinese society.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): chī kǔ nài láo
• Part of Speech: Chengyu (Idiom), Adjective
• HSK Level: HSK 5
• Concise Definition: Able to bear hardships and endure hard work.
• In a Nutshell: 吃苦耐劳 (chīkǔnàiláo) is a four-character idiom that describes a person's capacity for resilience and diligence. It's a compound of two ideas: 吃苦 (chī kǔ), literally “to eat bitterness,” which means to endure hardship, and 耐劳 (nài láo), which means “to be tolerant of hard work.” Together, they paint a picture of someone who doesn't just work hard, but can also withstand difficult conditions, long hours, and unpleasant tasks without complaint, often for a greater goal like supporting their family or building a better future.

• 吃 (chī): To eat. This character is straightforward and is the foundation of the metaphor.
• 苦 (kǔ): Bitter; hardship; suffering. This character sets the tone—the “food” being eaten is not pleasant. It signifies difficulty, adversity, and pain.
• 耐 (nài): To endure; to be able to bear; to be patient. This character implies a strong capacity for tolerance and resilience against something difficult.
• 劳 (láo): Labor; toil; work. This refers specifically to physical or mental exertion.

The phrase is essentially two verb-object pairs stitched together: [吃 + 苦] + [耐 + 劳]. This structure makes its meaning incredibly vivid: “To eat bitterness and endure labor.” It's not just working hard; it's about consuming and overcoming difficulty itself as part of the process.

吃苦耐劳 is more than a personal attribute; it's a cornerstone of traditional Chinese cultural values, deeply influenced by Confucianism and the country's agrarian history. For centuries, survival depended on the ability to toil in the fields through droughts, floods, and lean harvests. This fostered a collective belief that enduring hardship was not only necessary but also virtuous.

• A Praised Virtue: In China, telling someone they are 吃苦耐劳 is a high compliment. It praises their strength of character, dependability, and lack of entitlement. It's a quality parents hope to instill in their children and that employers actively seek in their staff.
• Comparison to Western “Work Ethic”: In the West, especially in America, the “work ethic” is often tied to concepts like “working smart, not hard,” innovation, and pursuing one's passion. While hard work is valued, there's less emphasis on the virtue of *enduring suffering* itself. The American dream is often about escaping toil, not glorifying it. 吃苦耐劳, in contrast, respects the process of enduring hardship as a path to success and a testament to one's inner strength. It's less about personal fulfillment in the work itself and more about duty, responsibility, and long-term security for the family or collective.
• Related Values: This idiom is closely linked to values like:
  • Perseverance (坚持): The belief that success comes from sustained effort over time.
  • Filial Piety (孝顺): Children are often expected to be 吃苦耐劳 to repay their parents' sacrifices.
  • Collectivism: Enduring personal hardship for the good of the family, the company, or the nation.

While its roots are traditional, 吃苦耐劳 remains highly relevant today.

• In the Workplace: This is perhaps the most common context. Job advertisements frequently list 吃苦耐劳 as a key requirement, especially for roles in manufacturing, construction, sales, and entry-level positions. In an interview, stating that you are 吃苦耐劳 signals that you are a reliable, resilient, and uncomplaining worker.
• Praising Others: It's often used to describe people from older generations who lived through tougher times. For example: “我爷爷那辈人真是吃苦耐劳” (My grandpa's generation was truly able to endure hardship). It's also a common way to compliment blue-collar workers, farmers, or anyone with a physically demanding job.
• Changing Attitudes: Among some younger, urban Chinese, the concept is becoming more complex. While still respected, the rise of “involution” (内卷 - nèijuǎn) and a desire for work-life balance has led some to question the need to “eat bitterness” for its own sake. They may see it as a quality that can be exploited by employers, leading to a culture of overwork.

• Example 1:
  • 中国人被认为是吃苦耐劳的民族。
  • Pinyin: Zhōngguó rén bèi rènwéi shì chīkǔnàiláo de mínzú.
  • English: Chinese people are considered to be a hardworking and resilient nation.
  • Analysis: This is a broad, common generalization. It uses 吃苦耐劳 to describe a national characteristic.
• Example 2:
  • 这个工作需要一个吃苦耐劳、有责任心的人。
  • Pinyin: Zhège gōngzuò xūyào yīgè chīkǔnàiláo, yǒu zérènxīn de rén.
  • English: This job requires a person who can endure hardship and has a strong sense of responsibility.
  • Analysis: A classic sentence from a job description. Here, it functions as an adjective describing the ideal candidate.
• Example 3:
  • 我的父母非常吃苦耐劳，他们为了我们付出了很多。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ de fùmǔ fēicháng chīkǔnàiláo, tāmen wèile wǒmen fùchūle hěnduō.
  • English: My parents are extremely hardworking and resilient; they sacrificed a lot for us.
  • Analysis: This is a very common and heartfelt way to praise one's parents, linking the quality to the value of family sacrifice.
• Example 4:
  • 作为一名创业者，你必须学会吃苦耐劳。
  • Pinyin: Zuòwéi yī míng chuàngyèzhě, nǐ bìxū xuéhuì chīkǔnàiláo.
  • English: As an entrepreneur, you must learn to bear hardship and work hard.
  • Analysis: Here, 吃苦耐劳 is presented as a skill or quality that can, and must, be learned to achieve a specific goal (entrepreneurship).
• Example 5:
  • 他虽然年轻，但是很能吃苦耐劳，老板很欣赏他。
  • Pinyin: Tā suīrán niánqīng, dànshì hěn néng chīkǔnàiláo, lǎobǎn hěn xīnshǎng tā.
  • English: Although he is young, he is very capable of enduring hardship, and the boss really appreciates him.
  • Analysis: The phrase “很能 (hěn néng)” is often placed before 吃苦耐劳 to emphasize the high degree of this ability.
• Example 6:
  • 在艰苦的环境中，我们培养了吃苦耐劳的精神。
  • Pinyin: Zài jiānkǔ de huánjìng zhōng, wǒmen péiyǎngle chīkǔnàiláo de jīngshén.
  • English: In that harsh environment, we cultivated a spirit of resilience and diligence.
  • Analysis: This sentence treats 吃苦耐劳 as a “spirit” (精神 - jīngshén), elevating it from a simple trait to a guiding principle or philosophy.
• Example 7:
  • 以前的农民，哪个不是吃苦耐劳的？
  • Pinyin: Yǐqián de nóngmín, nǎge bùshì chīkǔnàiláo de?
  • English: Of the farmers of the past, which one wasn't hardworking and able to endure hardship?
  • Analysis: This is a rhetorical question emphasizing that this quality was universal and essential for a particular group of people.
• Example 8:
  • 他的成功，靠的不仅仅是聪明，更是他那股吃苦耐劳的劲儿。
  • Pinyin: Tā de chénggōng, kào de bùjǐn jǐn shì cōngmíng, gèng shì tā nà gǔ chīkǔnàiláo de jìnr.
  • English: His success doesn't just rely on intelligence, but even more so on that spirit/drive of his for enduring hardship.
  • Analysis: The word “劲儿 (jìnr)” means energy or spirit. This sentence frames 吃苦耐劳 as a tangible force or drive behind someone's success.
• Example 9:
  • 我们的企业文化就是吃苦耐劳，敢于拼搏。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen de qǐyè wénhuà jiùshì chīkǔnàiláo, gǎnyú pīnbó.
  • English: Our corporate culture is one of resilience and diligence, and having the courage to strive and struggle.
  • Analysis: This shows how the term can be used to define the ethos of an entire organization.
• Example 10:
  • 你想在大城市立足，就得有吃苦耐劳的准备。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ xiǎng zài dà chéngshì lìzú, jiù děi yǒu chīkǔnàiláo de zhǔnbèi.
  • English: If you want to establish yourself in a big city, you must be prepared to endure hardship and work hard.
  • Analysis: This highlights 吃苦耐劳 as a necessary psychological preparation for facing a known challenge.

• Not Just “Hardworking”: A common mistake is to equate 吃苦耐劳 with the English word “hardworking.” While related, it's more specific. You can be hardworking on a fun, creative project you love. 吃苦耐劳 specifically implies enduring *unpleasantness* (苦 - bitterness) and *toil* (劳 - labor). A construction worker laboring under the hot sun is a perfect example. A graphic designer working late on a passion project is hardworking (努力 - nǔlì), but perhaps not 吃苦耐劳 unless the conditions are genuinely difficult.
• False Friend: “Stoic”: “Stoic” in English refers to enduring pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint, often as a matter of philosophical principle. 吃苦耐劳 is more practical. It's an active, hands-on quality of enduring toil with a purpose, not just a passive acceptance of fate.
• Incorrect Usage: Do not use this term for enjoyable activities.
  • Incorrect: 他为了打通这个游戏，真是吃苦耐劳。 (Tā wèile dǎ tōng zhège yóuxì, zhēnshi chīkǔnàiláo.)
  • Why it's wrong: Playing a video game, no matter how long, is a form of entertainment. There is no “bitterness” (苦) to eat. It would sound sarcastic or nonsensical. A more appropriate word would be 坚持 (jiānchí) - persevered, or 努力 (nǔlì) - put in a lot of effort.

• 吃苦 (chī kǔ) - The first half of the idiom, meaning “to eat bitterness.” It focuses specifically on enduring hardship, not necessarily labor.
• 辛苦 (xīnkǔ) - Hard, toilsome. A very common adjective used to describe a task or to thank someone for their effort (e.g., “你辛苦了!” - “Thanks for your hard work!”). It's less intense than 吃苦耐劳.
• 努力 (nǔlì) - To strive, to make an effort. This is about the application of effort and can be used for any task, pleasant or not. It's the most general term for “hardworking.”
• 奋斗 (fèndòu) - To struggle for a goal. This term has a proactive, ambitious, and almost heroic connotation of fighting towards a dream.
• 坚持 (jiānchí) - To persevere, to persist. This emphasizes continuation over time, sticking with something until the end.
• 勤劳 (qínláo) - Diligent, industrious. A very close synonym that emphasizes the “diligence” (勤) and “labor” (劳) aspects. It's less focused on the “enduring bitterness” part.
• 任劳任怨 (rèn láo rèn yuàn) - To bear hard work and not complain. Extremely similar to 吃苦耐劳, but it explicitly includes the idea of not holding grudges or complaining (任怨).
• 内卷 (nèijuǎn) - Involution. A modern slang term describing a rat race of meaningless, intense competition. It's often seen as a modern critique of the societal pressure to be 吃苦耐劳 even when it yields no real progress.