Taxonomy of meanings for 苦:　　

  • 苦 kǔ (OC: khaaʔ MC: kʰuo) 康杜切 上 廣韻：【麤也勤也患也説文曰大苦苓也康杜切二 】
    • BITTER
      • nmnonreferentialthe bitter; what is bitter
      • vadNbitter; unpleasant to taste
      • vadNfigurativebitter
      • vibe bitter; feel bitter
      • vt+prep+Nbe bitter to
      • vt+prep+Ngradedbe more bitter than
      • vtoNputativefind bitterness in; feel bitter about 
      • vtoNstativebe bitter to 良藥苦舌
      • nabfeaturebitternessLZ
      • vadVfigurativebitterlyLZ
      • abstract> DISTRESS
        • nabpsychdistress; hardship
        • v[adN]nonreferentialthose who are in hard circumstances, those who have a hard time; those who suffer hardship
        • vadNcharacterised by bitter distress
        • vibe in hard circumstances, suffer hardship; be distressful; (of tasks) be hard work; be devoid of joy 樂
        • vt+prep+Ngradedbe harder to bear, be more distressful than
        • vtoNcausativetorment; cause distress to; embitter
        • vtoNcausative, reflexive.自cause (oneself) pain, wear (oneself) out completeley
        • vtoNcausativecause bitter distress to (oneself)
        • vtoNputativefind distressfulCH
        • distressful deliberate action> EFFORT
          • viactput in a strenuous effort
          • resultative> TIRED
            • vtoNcausativeembitter through strain, tire out (one's strength)
          • persistent> INSIST
            • typical relation> SUFFER
              • nabpsych(the emotion of) suffering
              • nabeventsufferings
              • viactdecide to undergo hardship
              • vieventsuffer hardship
              • vt+V[0]suffer the consequences of V-ing
              • vtoNsuffer bitterly from N; suffer bitter harm from; feel bitter about
              • vtoSexpose yourself to the occurrence of S, suffer that SCH
            • typical reaction> HATE
              • nsubj=nonhumanwhat is hateful or irritating and not conducive to one's purposes
              • vt+prep+Nfeel resentment towards, find irritating
              • vt+V[0]hate to V
              • vtoNgradedfind troublesome and irritating, dislike as something highly inconvenient 最苦
          • medical> ILLNESS
          • exocentric> TEA
        • 苦 kù (OC: khaas MC: kʰuo) 苦故切 去 廣韻：【困也今之苦辛是 】

          Additional information about 苦

          說文解字: 【苦】，大苦，苓也。从艸、古聲。 【康杜切】

            Criteria
          • DISTRESS

            1. The most representative current general word for distress is probably kùn 困 (ant. ān 安 "be in a good state"), although the group of words discussed here is selected on singularly problematic grounds.

            2. Qióng 窮 (ant. tōng 通 "have a way out from a difficult situation") refers to a form form of distress as something from which it is impossible or hard to escape.

            3. Kǔ 苦 and the much rarer xīn 辛 (ant. lè 樂 "be in a joyful state") refer to a lasting objective state of distress caused by identifiable external conditions.

            4. Shāng 傷 (ant. yuè 悅 ) refers to lasting psychological distress.

            5. Yōu 憂 (ant. xǐ 喜 "joyful occasion") may very occasionally be used to refer not as standardly to worries of some kind, but to an objective state of precarious trouble.

            6. Jiù 疚 refers to purely psychological and often moral distress caused by a bad conscience or the like.

          • HATE

            1. The dominant general word referring to intense dislike is wù 惡 (ant. ài 愛 "love") which can relate to all kinds of concrete or abstract objects.

            2. Yuàn 怨 is resentment due to identified concrete causes, and the emotion is typically directed towards superiors or equals.

            3. Zēng 憎 (ant. ài 愛 "love") is a rather mild and lingering form of resentment directed at a person.

            4. Jí 疾 / 嫉 can refer to intense personally focussed resentment.

            5. Jì 忌, jí 嫉, and dù 妒 refer to intense personal resentment typically occasioned by envy for some success in love (jealousy) or in politics.

            6. Hèn 恨 "nourish feelings of hatred" is relatively rare in this meaning in pre-Qin times, and it stresses the emotional aspect of hatred.

            7. Yàn 厭 "come to be fed up with" (ant. hào 好 "be fond of") is a resentment due to overexposure to some condition or to a person's behaviour.

            8. Fán 煩 "be irritated at, be annoyed with" refers to a dissatisfaction due to overexposure to some condition or to a person's behaviour.

            9. Kǔ 苦 "resent bitterly", huàn 患 "REGARD AS DISASTROUS> be upset by", and bìng 病 "feel profoundly offended" focus on resentment of some prevailing condition as insufferable and may be directed at responsible officials but not primarily in a personal way.

            10. Wàng 望 is archaising word typically referrring to resentment against superiors.

          • BITTER

            [[COMMON/RARE]]

            [+FIG/LITERAL]

            [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

            [HIGH-DEGREE/LOW-DEGREE]

            1. The general word for bitterness is kǔ 苦 (ant. gān 甘 "sweet; tasty"), and this word is often metaphorical.

            [+FIG], [GENERAL]; [[COMMON]]

            2. Xīn 辛 refers to a more peppery, pungent bitterness, taken to be quite different from kǔ 苦, and the word has few metaphorical uses in pre-Buddhist Chinese.

            [HIGH-DEGREE], [LITERAL]

            3. Tú 荼 (ant.* yí 飴 "sweetener") refers to a plant known for its bitterness, and by extension the rare word means "bitter thing". The word is marginal in this group.

            [SPECIFIC]

            Word relations
          • Subject: (DISTRESS)民/PEOPLE The dominant current general word for the people is mín 民 (ant. jūn 君 "ruler"), and this term refers to the people particularly insofar as they are ruled by a ruler or belong to a state.
          • Ant: (BITTER)甘/SWEET The current standard word for sweetness is gān 甘, and the word strongly connotes pleasantness of taste rather than just sugary flavour. CQFL: 五味之美也
          • Ant: (BITTER)甜/SWEET Tián 甜 is rare and denotes sugary sweet flavour as such.
          • Ant: (HATE)良/EXCELLENT The standard current general word for anything or anyone who naturally meets certain generally accepted high standards of excellence is liáng 良 (ant. liè 劣 "inferior").
          • Ant: (DISTRESS)樂/DELIGHT The equally current lè 樂 (ant. āi 哀 "grief") adds to yuè 悅 the dimensions of practical indulgence, psychological and often philosophical depth, and - very often - a dimension of joy that can be shared and appreciated by others, and that is typically lasting if not permanent. See ENJOY
          • Contrast: (DISTRESS)勞/TIRED Láo 勞 refers to the state of exhaustion after extended lasting effort.
          • Contrast: (BITTER)痛/PAIN The clearly dominant general word for physical pain is tòng 痛 (ant. shū 舒 "feel well" and wú yàng 無恙 "fail nothing").
          • Contrast: (DISTRESS)貧/POOR The current general word for poverty is pín 貧 (ant. fù 富 "rich"), but the term does not in general refer to transitory poverty.
          • Assoc: (EFFORT)勤/EFFORT Qín 勤 refers to an honest and strenuous effort.
          • Assoc: (DISTRESS)愁/SAD Chóu 愁 refers to an internalised sadness one is reluctant to show openly.
          • Assoc: (BITTER)毒/POISON The current general word for poison is dú 毒.
          • Assoc: (DISTRESS)煩/WORRY Fán 煩 (ant. jìng 靜 "feel completely at peace") refers to a passive reaction of unsettled anxiousness about something other than oneself.
          • Assoc: (HATE)怨/HATE Yuàn 怨 is resentment due to identified concrete causes, and the emotion is typically directed towards superiors or equals.
          • Assoc: (DISTRESS)憂/DISTRESS Yōu 憂 (ant. xǐ 喜 "joyful occasion") may very occasionally be used to refer not as standardly to worries of some kind, but to an objective state of precarious trouble.
          • Assoc: (BITTER)辛/BITTER Xīn 辛 refers to a more peppery, pungent bitterness, and the word has few metaphorical uses in pre-Buddhist Chinese.
          • Assoc: (DISTRESS)痛/PAIN The clearly dominant general word for physical pain is tòng 痛 (ant. shū 舒 "feel well" and wú yàng 無恙 "fail nothing").