艰苦奋斗
jiān kǔ fèn doù · HSK 7
to struggle arduously
⛏️ 艰苦 = hard + bitter, 奋斗 = exert + fight; bitter-hard exerted fighting
艰 means difficult and 苦 means bitter, so 艰苦 is bitter hardship. 奋 is to exert oneself and 斗 is to fight, so 奋斗 is to strive. Together: to fight on through bitter hardship.
苦 — grass radical 艹 + 古 (old)
Originally referred to a bitter-tasting plant, with the grass radical 艹 indicating its botanical nature and 古 providing the phonetic element. The meaning extended from the literal bitter taste to figurative senses of hardship, suffering, and painful effort.
斗 — pictograph of a ladle/dipper with handle
斗 originally depicted a long-handled ladle or dipper used to scoop grain or wine, and by extension became a unit of dry measure (about 10 liters). The same graph was later borrowed for the unrelated meaning 'to fight,' which in simplified Chinese merged with the traditional character 鬥. Context tells the two senses apart.