How do you pronounce 劳苦功高?

劳苦功高 is pronounced láo kǔ gōng gāo in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 劳苦功高 literally mean?

Literally, 劳苦功高 means “labor and toil, merit high”. It is used to mean “to have rendered outstanding service through hard work and toil”.

Where does 劳苦功高 come from?

劳苦功高 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 劳苦功高?

出了很多力，吃了很多苦，立下了很大的功劳。

劳苦功高 — “To have rendered outstanding service through hard work and toil”

劳苦功高 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have rendered outstanding service through hard work and toil”. To have achieved great merits despite arduous efforts. Literally, “labor and toil, merit high”.

Frequency

劳苦功高 Pronunciation and Pinyin

劳láo
苦kǔ
功gōng
高gāo

劳苦功高 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
劳	láo	8	work, labor, effort
苦	kǔ	9	bitter, difficult, suffering
功	gōng	5	merit achievement work skill
高	gāo	10	high, tall, elevated

Example Sentence with 劳苦功高

这位科学家为了这项研究付出了无数个日夜，最终取得了突破性进展，真是劳苦功高。

This scientist dedicated countless days and nights to this research, finally achieving a breakthrough, truly rendering outstanding service through hard work.

Origin and Story of 劳苦功高

Towards the end of the Qin Dynasty, after Liu Bang's army captured the Qin capital Xianyang, he stationed his troops at Hangu Pass.

Xiang Yu, upon hearing that Liu Bang had occupied Xianyang, was furious and arranged a banquet at Hongmen to invite Liu Bang.

During the feast, Xiang Zhuang performed a sword dance, intending to seize the opportunity to kill Liu Bang.

Fan Kuai quickly drew his own sword and stepped forward, saying to Xiang Yu, "The Duke of Pei (Liu Bang) respectfully awaited your arrival and has not yet been enfeoffed, yet you intend to kill such a person who has toiled hard and achieved great merits?"

Idioms Related to 劳苦功高

Synonyms of 劳苦功高

gōng功dé德wú无liàng量immeasurable merit or boundless beneficence

Antonyms of 劳苦功高

More idioms starting with 劳

Questions about 劳苦功高

What does 劳苦功高 mean?: 劳苦功高 (láo kǔ gōng gāo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have rendered outstanding service through hard work and toil”.
How do you pronounce 劳苦功高?: 劳苦功高 is pronounced láo kǔ gōng gāo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 劳苦功高 literally mean?: Literally, 劳苦功高 means “labor and toil, merit high”. It is used to mean “to have rendered outstanding service through hard work and toil”.
Where does 劳苦功高 come from?: 劳苦功高 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 劳苦功高?: 出了很多力，吃了很多苦，立下了很大的功劳。

Copy the pinyin for 劳苦功高 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.