Definition

Adjective: 1. Hard; laborious; arduous: Describes work, a task, or an effort that requires a great deal of physical or mental exertion, is demanding, and is often tiring. 2. Painful; toilsome; difficult: Describes an experience or situation that is not only physically demanding but also involves hardship, suffering, or struggle.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Công việc đồng áng rất khó nhọc. (Farm work is very hard/laborious.)
  • Họ đã trải qua một hành trình khó nhọc để đến được đây. (They went through a difficult/painful journey to get here.)
  • Sau một ngày làm việc khó nhọc, anh ấy chỉ muốn nghỉ ngơi. (After a hard day's work, he just wants to rest.)

Advanced Usage

• "vất vả khó nhọc": An intensified phrase meaning "extremely hard and toilsome," emphasizing great difficulty and exhaustion.
  • Cuộc sống mưu sinh của họ thật vất vả khó nhọc. (Their life of making a living is truly extremely hard and toilsome.)
• "nhọc nhằn": A near-synonym often used in literary contexts, carrying a similar meaning of wearisome toil and hardship.
  • Gương mặt in hằn những nhọc nhằn, khó nhọc. (His face was etched with weariness and toil.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhọc (adj): Tired, weary (from labor). Often used in combination like "mệt nhọc" (tired and weary) or "nhọc lòng" (to trouble one's mind/heart).
• Khó khăn (adj): Difficult, challenging. While overlapping, "khó khăn" is broader and can refer to any type of difficulty, not necessarily involving physical toil. "Khó nhọc" strongly implies strenuous effort.
• Vất vả (adj): Hard, toilsome, strenuous. This is a very close synonym to "khó nhọc" and they are often used together for emphasis.

Synonyms

• Vất vả: Hard, toilsome, strenuous.
• Cực nhọc: Arduous, laborious (emphasizes the "cực" - extreme - aspect).
• Gian khổ: Full of hardship and suffering (often used for historically difficult periods or trials).

Related Idioms

• "Một nắng hai sương": Literally "one sun, two dews," this idiom describes the hard, early-to-rise, late-to-rest life of farmers, closely related to the concept of "khó nhọc."
  • Người nông dân một nắng hai sương trên đồng ruộng. (The farmer toils from dawn till dusk in the fields.)
• "Bán mặt cho đất, bán lưng cho trời": Literally "sell your face to the earth, sell your back to the sky." This vivid idiom depicts the extreme physical labor and exposure involved in farming, a quintessential "khó nhọc" occupation.
  • Công việc bán mặt cho đất, bán lưng cho trời vô cùng khó nhọc. (The work of toiling under the sun is incredibly hard.)

adj

1. hard; laborious; painful
   • công việc khó nhọc
     hard work