Usage note
艰苦表示很难、很辛苦。
jiān kǔ biǎo shì hěn nán 、 hěn xīn kǔ。
艰苦 means hard and arduous.
Context note
艰苦常用于工作、环境和生活。
jiān kǔ cháng yòng yú gōng zuò 、 huán jìng hé shēng huó。
It is often used with work, conditions, and life.
5 examples
他们过着艰苦的生活。
tā men guò zhe jiān kǔ de shēng huó。
They live a hard life.
艰苦的训练开始了。
jiān kǔ de xùn liàn kāi shǐ le。
Hard training began.
这份工作很艰苦。
zhè fèn gōng zuò hěn jiān kǔ。
This job is very hard.
艰苦条件下也要坚持。
jiān kǔ tiáo jiàn xià yě yào jiān chí。
You must persist even under hard conditions.
艰苦奋斗很重要。
jiān kǔ fèn dòu hěn zhòng yào。
Hard struggle is important.
5 mini stories
老师说，成功常来自艰苦努力。
lǎo shī shuō， chéng gōng cháng lái zì jiān kǔ nǔ lì。
The teacher said success often comes from hard work.
他们在艰苦环境里工作。
tā men zài jiān kǔ huán jìng lǐ gōng zuò。
They work in hard conditions.
艰苦的训练让他更强。
jiān kǔ de xùn liàn ràng tā gèng qiáng。
Hard training made him stronger.
艰苦并不代表没有希望。
jiān kǔ bìng bú dài biǎo méi yǒu xī wàng。
Hard does not mean there is no hope.
他从小就习惯艰苦生活。
tā cóng xiǎo jiù xí guàn jiān kǔ shēng huó。
He has been used to a hard life since childhood.
Mini dialogue
努力练习
A
学游泳艰苦吗？
Xué yóuyǒng jiānkǔ ma?
Is learning to swim arduous?
B
开始有点艰苦，但是坚持下来就好了。
Kāishǐ yǒudiǎn jiānkǔ, dànshì jiānchí xiàlái jiù hǎo le.
It was a bit hard at the beginning, but it gets better if you persevere.
运动员的故事
A
他训练真艰苦。
Tā xùnliàn zhēn jiānkǔ.
His training is really arduous.
B
是的，艰苦的训练让他变得很强。
Shì de, jiānkǔ de xùnliàn ràng tā biàn de hěn qiáng.
Yes, the arduous training made him very strong.
Related words and contrasts
similar
困难
kùnnan
difficult
艰苦 implies hardship and struggle, while 困难 simply means difficult.
similar
辛苦
xīnkǔ
tiring, hard
辛苦 focuses on physical or mental effort, while 艰苦 emphasizes harsh conditions.
opposite
轻松
qīngsōng
easy, relaxed
艰苦 means arduous, while 轻松 means easy and relaxed.