📖 Meaning
To work so hard that one's muscles and bones ache from exhaustion. Describes heavy, grueling physical labor that wears the body down. The idiom emphasizes the toll that relentless toil takes on one's physical strength and well-being.
📜 Origin Story
No documented origin story or specific source text is recorded for this idiom (出处: 无), so its exact first appearance cannot be traced to a particular dynasty, text, or figure. It is formed on the common classical pattern of pairing two body terms (sinews/tendons and bones) with two hardship verbs (to labor and to suffer), a structure seen in many Chinese idioms describing physical endurance. It likely emerged from traditional literary and vernacular usage that praised or lamented the hardships of hard labor. Its meaning is largely self-evident from its component characters, which is why it has survived in everyday speech rather than being tied to a single classical anecdote.
💡 Example Usage
为了养家糊口，父亲常年劳筋苦骨，从不抱怨。
To support the family, my father toiled year after year until his muscles and bones ached, yet he never complained.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 劳筋苦骨
- Pinyin: láo jīn kǔ gǔ
- Literal Translation: labor, sinews, pain, bones
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4