教训 教訓 jiào xun to provide guidance / to lecture sb / to upbraid / a talking-to / a bitter lesson / CL:番[fan1],頓|顿[dun4] syn 遭遇 zāo yù to meet with / to encounter / (bitter) experience syn 苦头 苦頭 kǔ tou sufferings syn 严酷 嚴酷 yán kù bitter / harsh / grim / ruthless / severe / cut-throat (competition) syn 苦力 kǔ lì bitter work / hard toil / (loanword) coolie, unskilled Chinese laborer in colonial times syn 冷笑 lěng xiào to sneer / to laugh grimly / grin of dissatisfaction (bitterness, helplessness, indignation etc) / bitter, grim, sarcastic or angry smile 惨痛 慘痛 cǎn tòng bitter / painful / deeply distressed syn 苦涩 苦澀 kǔ sè bitter and astringent / pained / agonized syn 惨烈 慘烈 cǎn liè bitter / desperate syn 苦果 kǔ guǒ lit. bitter fruit / fig. painful consequence syn 沉痛 chén tòng grief / remorse / deep in sorrow / bitter (anguish) / profound (condolences) syn 严寒 嚴寒 yán hán bitter cold / severe winter syn 苦瓜 kǔ guā bitter melon (bitter gourd, balsam pear, balsam apple, leprosy gourd, bitter cucumber) 苦战 苦戰 kǔ zhàn bitter struggle / hard battle / arduous effort syn 苦水 kǔ shuǐ bitter water (e.g. mineral water containing sulfates) / suffering / digestive fluids rising from stomach to the mouth / fig. bitter complaint syn 含辛茹苦 hán xīn rú kǔ to suffer every possible torment (idiom) / bitter hardship / to bear one's cross syn 辛酸 xīn suān pungent (taste) / bitter / fig. sad / miserable syn 苦命 kǔ mìng hard lot / bitter fate / unfortunate syn 酸甜苦辣 suān tián kǔ là sour, sweet, bitter and spicy hot / fig. the joys and sorrows of life syn 鏖战 鏖戰 áo zhàn bitter fighting / a violent battle syn 苦笑 kǔ xiào to force a smile / a bitter laugh syn 痛心疾首 tòng xīn jí shǒu bitter and hateful (idiom) / to grieve and lament (over sth) syn 五香 wǔ xiāng five spice seasoned / incorporating the five basic flavors of Chinese cooking (sweet, sour, bitter, savory, salty) 切肤之痛 切膚之痛 qiè fū zhī tòng keenly felt pain / bitter anguish syn 叫苦 jiào kǔ to whine about hardships / to complain of one's bitter lot / to complain / to grumble 苦思 kǔ sī to think hard / bitter thoughts / to pour out one's sufferings syn 苦味 kǔ wèi bitter taste / bitterness syn 苦寒 kǔ hán bitter cold syn 痛痒 痛癢 tòng yǎng pain and itch / sufferings / importance / consequence syn 五味 wǔ wèi the five flavors, namely: sweet 甜, sour 酸, bitter 苦, spicy hot 辣, salty 鹹|咸 / all kinds of flavors 酸涩 酸澀 suān sè sour / acrid / (fig.) bitter / painful 怨毒 yuàn dú bitter resentment / rancor 惨笑 慘笑 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) syn 苦 kǔ bitter / hardship / pain / to suffer / to bring suffering to / painstakingly syn 甘 gān (bound form) sweet / pleasant (contrasted with 苦[ku3]: bitter, unpleasant) / to be willing (to do sth) syn 痛哭流涕 tòng kū liú tì weeping bitter tears syn 荼 tú thistle / common sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) / bitter (taste) / cruel / flowering grass in profusion 苦活 kǔ huó bitter work / sweated labor syn 吃哑巴亏 吃啞巴虧 chī yǎ ba kuī to be forced to suffer in silence / unable to speak of one's bitter suffering syn 病苦 bìng kǔ pains (of illness) / sufferings (esp. in Buddhism) 枳壳 枳殼 zhǐ qiào bitter orange (Fructus aurantii) (used in TCM) 苦菜花 kǔ cài huā Bitter Herbs, 1958 novel by Feng Deying 馮德英|冯德英[Feng2 De2ying1], made into a film in 1965 醰 tán bitter taste in wine / rich / full flavored 切骨之仇 qiè gǔ zhī chóu bitter hatred / hatred that cuts to the bone syn 嘴甜心苦 zuǐ tián xīn kǔ sweet mouth, bitter heart (idiom) / insincere flattery 良药苦口 良藥苦口 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 syn 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 食荼臥棘 shí tú wò jí to eat bitter fruit and lie on thorns (idiom) / to share the hard life of the common people 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 礼教吃人 禮教吃人 lǐ jiào chī rén sufferings brought about by Confucian ethics 仇隙 chóu xì feud / bitter quarrel 冷话 冷話 lěng huà harsh words / sarcasm / bitter remarks 哑巴吃黄连，有苦说不出 啞巴吃黃連，有苦說不出 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 有苦說不出 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 氣不過 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 馮德英 féng dé yīng Feng Deying (1935-2022), author of the 1958 novel Bitter Herbs 苦菜花[Ku3cai4hua1] 咸涩 鹹澀 xián sè salty and bitter / acerbic 黄水茄 huáng shuǐ qié bitter tomato 斑鸠菊 斑鳩菊 bān jiū jú bitter leaf 色字头上一把刀 色字頭上一把刀 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 自食惡果 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 血淋淋 xiě lín lín bloody / blood-soaked / gory / grisly / cruel / brutal / harsh / grim / bitter syn 酸甜苦辣 suān - tián - kǔ - là lit. sour, sweet, bitter and spicy (idiom) / fig. all kinds of flavors / the joys and sorrows of life syn 