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苦中作樂

简苦中作乐 · 繁苦中作樂

Mandarin · pinyin kǔ zhōng zuò lè

to find joy in sorrows (idiom); to enjoy sth in spite of one's suffering

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Characters in this entry

苦: kǔ · bitter; hardship, suffering
中: zhōng · central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain
作: zuò · make; work; compose, write; act, perform
樂: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music
乐: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–1–4–4 · ku3 zhong1 zuo4 le4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

苦中作樂 · find source passages ↗ · 苦中作乐 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

fu2 zung1 zok3 lok6

Cantonese word readings for 苦中作樂. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to seek joy amidst sorrow

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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