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苦口婆心

kǔ kǒu pó xīndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
earnest and well-meaning advice (idiom) / to persuade patiently
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-aff27dc180e7011a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

苦口婆心 苦口婆心 [ku3 kou3 po2 xin1] /earnest and well-meaning advice (idiom); to persuade patiently/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 苦
    kǔ

    bitter / hardship / pain / to suffer / to bring suffering to / painstakingly

  • 口
    kǒu

    mouth / classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc) / classifier for bites or mouthfuls

  • 婆
    pó

    (bound form) grandmother / (bound form) matron / (bound form) mother-in-law / (slang) femme (in a lesbian relationship)

  • 心
    xīn

    heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[kē],個|个[gè]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.