| 痛 | ache, pain, sorrow | tòng |
| 痛苦 | pain, suffering, painful | tòng kǔ |
| 吃苦 | to bear, hardships | chī kǔ |
| 转折 | shift in the trend of events, plot shift in a book, twists and turns | zhuǎn zhé |
| 减轻痛苦 | to decrease the pain | tòng kǔ |
| 苦口良药 | the medicine that tastes bad is usually the most effective | kǔ kǒu liáng yào |