吃苦耐劳

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: chī kǔ nài láo
• English Translation: Enduring hardship and hard-working
• Idiom Composition: 「吃」（To endure or experience (literally 'to eat')）＋「苦」（Hardship, bitterness, or suffering）＋「耐」（To withstand, endure, or tolerate）＋「劳」（Labor, toil, or hard work）
• Meaning: To endure difficult environments or poverty (苦 - kǔ) and complete tough tasks (劳 - láo) without complaint. It is a highly positive term used to praise a person's character or work ethic.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「吃苦耐劳」 contains the following nuances:

• Mental and Physical Toughness: The idiom emphasizes more than just 'working'; it highlights the resilience to withstand poor environments or intense mental pressure (苦 - kǔ) without giving up.
• A Traditional Virtue: In Chinese culture, diligence and endurance are among the most respected virtues, and this idiom serves as the symbolic expression of that ideal.

3. Usage

「吃苦耐劳」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Recruitment and Character Evaluation: Commonly used in job requirements or when evaluating an employee's attitude, especially for roles involving physical labor or demanding environments.
  • Example:「这份工作需要经常出差，必须是吃苦耐劳的人才能胜任。」
    （This job requires frequent business trips, so it must be filled by someone who is hard-working and resilient.）
• Success Stories and Praise: Used to praise individuals who succeeded through sheer effort or those who built something from nothing.
  • Example:「凭着吃苦耐劳的精神，他白手起家创办了这家公司。」
    （With a spirit of enduring hardship and hard work, he started this company from scratch.）

Additional Examples:

1. 现在的年轻人很少有像老一辈那样吃苦耐劳的了。
   （Few young people today are as hard-working and resilient as the older generation.）
2. 要想在竞争激烈的社会中立足，首先要学会吃苦耐劳。
   （To gain a foothold in a highly competitive society, one must first learn to endure hardship and work hard.）
3. 这支探险队队员个个吃苦耐劳，最终完成了任务。
   （Every member of this expedition team was tough and diligent, and they eventually completed the mission.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• In Chinese society, influenced by traditional agrarian culture, 'eating bitterness' (吃苦 - chī kǔ) is seen as a way to build character. There is a famous proverb: 吃得苦中苦，方为人上人 (chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ, fāng wéi rén shàng rén), which means 'Only by enduring the most bitter of hardships can one become a person above others.'
• While modern youth might occasionally view excessive praise for labor with skepticism due to modern work-life balance concerns, the term remains a powerful and positive self-promotion tool in resumes and formal settings.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 任劳任怨 (rèn láo rèn yuàn): To work hard and bear criticism or complaints without resentment.
  • 不辞辛劳 (bù cí xīn láo): To spare no effort; to not shrink from toil or hardship.
  • 艰苦奋斗 (jiān kǔ fèn dòu): To struggle arduously and work hard.link
  • 兢兢业业 (jīng jīng yè yè): To be cautious and conscientious in one's work.link
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 好吃懒做 (hào chī lǎn zuò): Gluttonous and lazy; loving to eat but hating to work.
  • 拈轻怕重 (niān qīng pà zhòng): To pick the light tasks and fear the heavy ones; to shirk hard work.
  • 得过且过 (dé guò qiě guò): To muddle through, taking one day at a time without much thought for the future.link
  • 无所事事 (wú suǒ shì shì): To have nothing to do or to be idle.link

6. Summary

吃苦耐劳 (chī kǔ nài láo) describes the spirit of enduring hardships and being willing to take on grueling work. In Chinese culture, this is considered a vital virtue and is one of the highest compliments for someone's character, often used in professional evaluations to indicate that a person is tough and diligent.