辛苦(xīnkǔ), 累(lèi), and 刻苦(kèkǔ) all relate to the concept of exertion or hard work.
辛苦(xīnkǔ):
- 辛苦 means hardworking, toilsome in English. It conveys a sense of enduring hardship or putting in a significant amount of effort.
e.g.
996的工作非常辛苦。(996 De gōngzuò fēicháng xīnkǔ.) The 996 working style is very hard.
他辛苦了一辈子，现在终于能好好休息了。(Tā xīnkǔle yībèizi, xiànzài zhōngyú néng hǎohǎo xiūxile.) He has worked hard all his life, and now he can finally have a good rest.
这个工作是非常辛苦的。(Zhège gōngzuò shì fēicháng xīnkǔ de.) This work is very hard.
- It is frequently used to acknowledge someone’s hard work or the difficulties they have gone through.
e.g.
这段时间大家辛苦了！（Zhè duàn shíjiān dàjiā xīnkǔle!）Thank you all for your hard work during this time!
感谢你的付出，辛苦了！（Gǎnxiè nǐ de fùchū, xīnkǔle!）Thank you for your hard work!
- 辛苦 can be applied to AABB form or ABAB form.
辛苦辛苦
辛辛苦苦
e.g.
我辛辛苦苦工作供你读书，你连大学都考不上？(Wǒ xīn xīnkǔ kǔ gōngzuò gōng nǐ dúshū, nǐ lián dàxué dōu kǎo bù shàng?) I worked so hard for you to study, but you can’t even get into college?
老人辛辛苦苦工作了一辈子，所有的钱都被骗了。(Lǎorén xīn xīnkǔ kǔ gōngzuòle yībèizi, suǒyǒu de qián dōu bèi piànle.) The old man worked hard all his life and was defrauded of all his money.
你再辛苦辛苦，把这个工作做完吧。(Nǐ zài xīnkǔ xīnkǔ, bǎ zhège gōngzuò zuò wán ba.) No matter how hard you work, just finish this work.
大家都辛苦辛苦，过两年生活肯定会好起来的。(Dàjiā dōu xīnkǔ xīnkǔ,guò liǎng nián shēnghuó kěndìng huì hǎo qǐlái de.) Everyone has worked hard and life will definitely get better in two years.
累(lèi):
累 means tired, fatigued. It refers to feeling physically or mentally unable to sustain oneself due to exhaustion, and it is often related to a person’s capacity to endure.
e.g.
连续工作30个小时，真的太累了。(Liánxù gōngzuò 30 gè xiǎoshí, zhēn de tài lèi le.) Working continuously for 30 hours, I am really too tired.
整天的会议让我觉得非常累。(Zhěng tiān de huìyì ràng wǒ juédé fēicháng lèi.) A whole day of meetings made me feel very tired.
工作到深夜，我累得几乎站不住。(Gōngzuò dào shēnyè, wǒ lèi de jīhū zhàn bù zhù.) Working till late at night, I was so tired I could hardly stand.
这次爬山活动真让我累坏了。(Zhè cì páshān huódòng zhēn ràng wǒ lèi huài le.) This mountain climbing activity really exhausted me.
Note that 辛苦 and 累 sometimes are exchangeable.
刻苦(kèkǔ):
刻苦 means dedicated, diligent. It’s often used to emphasize a high level of perseverance and self-discipline, or describe someone who is extremely hardworking, almost to the point of enduring hardship, in their pursuit of a goal.
e.g.
我现在那么刻苦地读书，就是为了以后工作不用那么辛苦。你看她每天工作13个小时，累死了！(Wǒ xiànzài nàme kèkǔ de dúshū, jiùshì wèile yǐhòu gōngzuò bùyòng nàme xīnkǔ. Nǐ kàn tā měitiān gōngzuò 13 gè xiǎoshí, lèi sǐle!) I study so hard now just so that I don’t have to work so hard in the future. You see she works 13 hours a day and is exhausted!
她为了实现梦想，每天刻苦训练。(Tā wèile shíxiàn mèngxiǎng, měi tiān kèkǔ xùnliàn.) To realize her dream, she trains hard every day.
他的成功是刻苦努力的结果。(Tā de chénggōng shì kèkǔ nǔlì de jiéguǒ.) His success is the result of hard work and perseverance.
Summary
“辛苦” acknowledges hard work and effort often with an empathetic or appreciative tone, “累” simply denotes the state of being tired, and “刻苦” describes a high level of diligence and perseverance, often in the context of achieving a specific goal.
Exercise
