苦恼 (kǔnǎo)

苦恼 describes the feeling of being troubled, worried, or emotionally distressed, especially by problems that are difficult to resolve. It implies a combination of suffering and frustration that lingers.

Meanings

[adjective] troubled; distressed; tormented; vexed
[verb] to trouble; to torment; to cause distress

Example Sentences

他为找不到合适的工作而感到十分苦恼，情绪一直很低落。 Tā wèi zhǎo bùdào héshì de gōngzuò ér gǎndào shífēn kǔnǎo, qíngxù yīzhí hěn dīluò. He was deeply troubled by his inability to find a suitable job and had been feeling very low.

孩子沉迷于游戏让父母十分苦恼，不知道该如何引导。 Háizi chénmí yú yóuxì ràng fùmǔ shífēn kǔnǎo, bù zhīdào gāi rúhé yǐndǎo. The children's addiction to video games greatly troubled their parents, who did not know how to guide them.

她一直苦恼于如何在事业发展和照顾家庭之间找到平衡。 Tā yīzhí kǔnǎo yú rúhé zài shìyè fāzhǎn hé zhàogù jiātíng zhījiān zhǎodào pínghéng. She has long been troubled by how to find a balance between career development and caring for her family.

面对这个棘手的问题，团队成员们都感到苦恼，讨论了很久也没有找到解决方案。 Miànduì zhège jíshǒu de wèntí, tuánduì chéngyuánmen dōu gǎndào kǔnǎo, tǎolùnle hěn jiǔ yě méiyǒu zhǎodào jiějué fāng'àn. Faced with this thorny problem, team members all felt troubled and discussed it for a long time without finding a solution.

心理咨询可以帮助人们疏解内心的苦恼，以更积极的心态面对挑战。 Xīnlǐ zīxún kěyǐ bāngzhù rénmen shūjiě nèixīn de kǔnǎo, yǐ gèng jījí de xīntài miànduì tiǎozhàn. Psychological counselling can help people relieve inner distress and face challenges with a more positive mindset.

不必为小事苦恼，放宽心态，很多事情会自然而然地得到解决。 Bù bì wèi xiǎoshì kǔnǎo, fàng kuān xīntài, hěn duō shìqíng huì zìrán ér rán de dédào jiějué. There is no need to be troubled by small matters; relax your mindset and many things will resolve themselves naturally.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
感到苦恼	to feel troubled/distressed
内心苦恼	inner distress; inner torment
为……苦恼	to be troubled by ...; to agonise over ...
解除苦恼	to relieve distress
令人苦恼	to be troubling; to cause distress
苦恼不已	to be endlessly troubled

Usage Notes

苦恼 implies persistent, nagging distress -- more than momentary unhappiness. It is slightly stronger and more inward-looking than 烦恼 (fánnǎo -- worried, bothered, vexed -- which is very close in meaning but slightly more surface-level). Both are common in everyday emotional vocabulary.

As a verb, 苦恼于 is the standard pattern: 苦恼于某事 (to be troubled/tormented by something). As an adjective it functions predicatively: 她很苦恼 (she is very troubled).

Memory Hook

苦 (bitter/suffering) + 恼 (vexed/troubled) -- a bitterness in the heart that vexes and troubles you; emotional suffering that lingers.