1. noun bitterness; bitter flavor
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Food and Drink , Concept: Flavor 味道
    Notes: One of the 五味 'five flavors', the opposite of 甜 'sweetness' (Guoyu '苦' n 1)
  2. noun hardship; suffering
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
    Notes: For example, the idiom 苦中作乐 'to enjoy in spite of hardship' (Guoyu '苦' n 2; Unihan '苦')
  3. verb to make things difficult for
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 受累 or 为难 (Guoyu '苦' v 1)
  4. verb to train; to practice
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 磨鍊 (Guoyu '苦' v 2)
  5. verb to suffer from a misfortune
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 患 (Guoyu '苦' v 3)
  6. adjective bitter
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Food and Drink
    Notes: (Guoyu '苦' adj 1; Unihan '苦')
  7. adjective grieved; facing hardship
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 艰辛; for example, 苦日子 'hard times' (Guoyu '苦' adj 2)
  8. adjective in low spirits; depressed
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 愁闷; for example, 愁眉苦脸 'to look anxious' (Guoyu '苦' adj 3)
  9. adverb assiduously; to do one's best; to strive as much as possible
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 尽力 (Guoyu '苦' adv; Han Dian '苦' adj 7)
  10. adjective painful
    Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
    Notes: In the sense of 痛 (Han Dian '苦' adj 4)
  11. noun suffering; duḥkha; dukkha
    Domain: Buddhism 佛教
    Notes: Sanskrit equivalent: duḥkha, Pali: dukkha, Japanese: ku; Tibetan: sdug bsngal. Duḥkha is the unsatisfactory nature inherent in all conditioned phenomena. 苦諦 'The truth of suffering' is the first of the 四聖諦 'four noble truths,' a fundamental teaching of Buddhism (BCSD '苦', p. 1011; BL 'duḥkha', p. 270-271; FGDB '苦').

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苦杏仁苷苦工小洞不堵,大洞受苦苦心不辞劳苦救苦救难孤苦伶仃秘鲁苦蘵苦笑挖苦苦甘苦海无边不胜其苦苦心孤诣苦菊苦行赎罪苦味苦尽甘来煞费苦心变苦苦雨淒风刻苦钻研访贫问苦艰苦何苦苦事苦海茫茫刻苦耐劳二遍苦

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