📖 Meaning
Bitter hardship finally comes to an end, and sweet, good times arrive. The idiom describes a situation in which one endures difficult circumstances for a long time and is eventually rewarded with happiness, prosperity, or success. It carries a tone of hard-won relief and optimism.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Yuan dynasty zaju play Romance of the Western Chamber (西厢记) by Wang Shifu, where the line 怎能勾这相思苦尽甘来 expresses that only by enduring the agony of lovesickness with sincere patience could one at last reach its sweet reward. The original text used the character 甘 (sweet), while the later variant 甜 became the more common form in popular usage. The same phrase also appears in the Ming dynasty anthology Qun Yin Lei Xuan (群音类选), in the episode 婆婆夺绢 from the play Jin Yin Ji, where it is paired with 泰生否极 to describe fortune turning from adversity to prosperity.
💡 Example Usage
多年的艰苦奋斗，如今苦尽甜来，生活总算一天天好起来了。
After years of hard struggle, bitter days are finally over and life is gradually getting better day by day.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 苦尽甜来
- Pinyin: kǔ jìn tián lái
- Literal Translation: bitter, ends, sweet, comes
- Category: Recovery
- Characters: 4