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 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 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 逆耳 nì ěr unpleasant to hear / grates on the ear (of home truths) syn 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 枳壳 枳殼 zhǐ qiào bitter orange (Fructus aurantii) (used in TCM) 藏头露尾 藏頭露尾 cáng tóu lù wěi to hide the head and show the tail (idiom) / to give a partial account / half-truths syn 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 目不见睫 目不見睫 mù bù jiàn jié lit. the eye cannot see the eyelashes (idiom) / fig. unable to see one's own faults / to lack self-awareness / truths too close to home syn 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 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 四圣谛 四聖諦 sì shèng dì the Four Noble Truths (Buddhism) / see also 四諦|四谛[si4 di4] and 苦集滅道|苦集灭道[ku3 ji2 mie4 dao4] 四谛 四諦 sì dì the Four Noble Truths (Budd.), covered by the acronym 苦集滅道|苦集灭道[ku3 ji2 mie4 dao4]: all life is suffering 苦[ku3], the cause of suffering is desire 集[ji2], emancipation comes only by eliminating passions 滅|灭[mie4], the way 道[dao4] to emancipation is the Eight-fold Noble Way 八正道[ba1 zheng4 dao4] 苦集灭道 苦集滅道 kǔ jí miè dào the Four Noble Truths (Budd.), namely: all life is suffering 苦[ku3], the cause of suffering is desire 集[ji2], emancipation comes only by eliminating passions 滅|灭[mie4], the way 道[dao4] to emancipation is the Eight-fold Noble Way 八正道[ba1 zheng4 dao4] / also called 四諦|四谛[si4 di4] 仇隙 chóu xì feud / bitter quarrel 冷话 冷話 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 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 活罪 huó zuì bitter sufferings / great hardships 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 