苦 bitter / hardship / pain / to suffer / to bring suffering to / painstakingly 惨 烈 cǎn liè bitter / desperate 辛 酸 xīn suān pungent (taste) / bitter / fig. sad / miserable 惨 痛 cǎn tòng bitter / painful / deeply distressed 沉 痛 chén tòng grief / remorse / deep in sorrow / bitter (anguish) / profound (condolences) 严 酷 yán kù bitter / harsh / grim / ruthless / severe / cut-throat (competition) 酸 涩 suān sè sour / acrid / (fig.) bitter / painful 荼 thistle / common sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) / bitter (taste) / cruel / flowering grass in profusion 血 淋 淋 xiě lín lín bloody / blood-soaked / gory / grisly / cruel / brutal / harsh / grim / bitter 教 训 jiào xun to provide guidance / to lecture sb / to upbraid / a talking-to / a bitter lesson / CL:番[fan1],頓|顿[dun4] 苦 笑 kǔ xiào to force a smile / a bitter laugh 冷 笑 lěng xiào to sneer / to laugh grimly / grin of dissatisfaction (bitterness, helplessness, indignation etc) / bitter, grim, sarcastic or angry smile 苦 涩 kǔ sè bitter and astringent / pained / agonized 严 寒 yán hán bitter cold / severe winter 苦 瓜 kǔ guā bitter melon (bitter gourd, balsam pear, balsam apple, leprosy gourd, bitter cucumber) 苦 战 kǔ zhàn bitter struggle / hard battle / arduous effort 叫 苦 jiào kǔ to whine about hardships / to complain of one's bitter lot / to complain / to grumble 酸 甜 苦 辣 suān tián kǔ là sour, sweet, bitter and spicy hot / fig. the joys and sorrows of life 苦 力 kǔ lì bitter work / hard toil / (loanword) coolie, unskilled Chinese laborer in colonial times 苦 命 kǔ mìng hard lot / bitter fate / unfortunate 五 味 wǔ wèi the five flavors, namely: sweet 甜, sour 酸, bitter 苦, spicy hot 辣, salty 鹹|咸 / all kinds of flavors 苦 水 kǔ shuǐ bitter water (e.g. mineral water containing sulfates) / suffering / digestive fluids rising from stomach to the mouth / fig. bitter complaint 鏖 战 áo zhàn bitter fighting / a violent battle 苦 果 kǔ guǒ lit. bitter fruit / fig. painful consequence 苦 思 kǔ sī to think hard / bitter thoughts / to pour out one's sufferings 苦 味 kǔ wèi bitter taste / bitterness 痛 心 疾 首 tòng xīn jí shǒu bitter and hateful (idiom) / to grieve and lament (over sth) 怨 毒 yuàn dú bitter resentment / rancor 五 香 wǔ xiāng five spice seasoned / incorporating the five basic flavors of Chinese cooking (sweet, sour, bitter, savory, salty) 含 辛 茹 苦 hán xīn rú kǔ to suffer every possible torment (idiom) / bitter hardship / to bear one's cross 苦 寒 kǔ hán bitter cold 切 肤 之 痛 qiè fū zhī tòng keenly felt pain / bitter anguish 惨 笑 cǎn xiào bitter smile 苦 口 kǔ kǒu lit. bitter taste (cf good medicine tastes bitter 良藥苦口|良药苦口) / fig. earnestly (of warning, advice) 枳 壳 zhǐ qiào bitter orange (Fructus aurantii) (used in TCM) 苦 菜 花 Kǔ Cài huā Bitter Cauliflower, 1954 socialist realist novel by Feng Deying 馮德英|冯德英[Feng2 De2 ying1] loosely based on Maxim Gorky's Mother, made into a 1967 film by Li Ang 吃 哑 巴 亏 chī yǎ ba kuī to be forced to suffer in silence / unable to speak of one's bitter suffering 苦 活 kǔ huó bitter work / sweated labor 醰 bitter taste in wine / rich / full flavored 痛 哭 流 涕 tòng kū liú tì weeping bitter tears 切 骨 之 仇 qiè gǔ zhī chóu bitter hatred / hatred that cuts to the bone 嘴 甜 心 苦 zuǐ tián xīn kǔ sweet mouth, bitter heart (idiom) / insincere flattery 良 药 苦 口 liáng yào kǔ kǒu good medicine tastes bitter (idiom) / fig. frank criticism is hard to swallow 茹 苦 含 辛 rú kǔ hán xīn bitter hardship / to bear one's cross 逆 耳 之 言 nì ěr zhī yán speech that grates on the ear (idiom) / bitter truths / home truths (that one does not want to hear) 食 荼 卧 棘 shí tú wò jí to eat bitter fruit and lie on thorns (idiom) / to share the hard life of the common people 仇 隙 chóu xì feud / bitter quarrel 冷 话 lěng huà harsh words / sarcasm / bitter remarks 吐 苦 水 tǔ kǔ shuǐ to have bitter digestive fluids rising to the mouth / fig. to complain bitterly / to pour out one's sufferings 哑 巴 吃 黄 连 ， 有 苦 说 不 出 yǎ ba chī huáng lián , yǒu kǔ shuō bu chū to be forced to suffer in silence (idiom) / unable to speak of one's bitter suffering / sometimes written 啞子吃黃連，有苦說不出|哑子吃黄连，有苦说不出 拼 到 底 pīn dào dǐ to brave it out / to the bitter end 有 苦 说 不 出 yǒu kǔ shuō bu chū having unspeakable bitter suffering / (often used after 啞巴吃黃連|哑巴吃黄连[ya3 ba5 chi1 huang2 lian2]) 气 不 过 qì bu guò so angry it's unbearable / bitter about unbearable grievances 苦 不 唧 kǔ bu jī slightly bitter 苦 甘 kǔ gān bitter sweet 苦 竹 kǔ zhú bitter bamboo (Pleioblastus amarus) 冯 德 英 Féng Dé yīng Feng Deying (1935-), socialist realist novelist, author of Bitter cauliflower 苦菜花[ku3 cai4 hua1] (1954) 咸 涩 xián sè salty and bitter / acerbic 黄 水 茄 huáng shuǐ qié bitter tomato 斑 鸠 菊 bān jiū jú bitter leaf 色 字 头 上 一 把 刀 sè zì tóu shàng yī bǎ dāo lit. there is a knife above the character for lust / fig. lascivious activities can lead to bitter consequences 悲 酸 bēi suān bitter and sad 自 食 恶 果 zì shí è guǒ lit. to eat one's own bitter fruit (idiom) / fig. to suffer the consequences of one's own actions / to stew in one's own juice
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