unremitting effort; dogged perseverance; unswerving loyalty
Emphasizes enduring hardship or adversity while maintaining steadfast effort or loyalty. Often used in formal or literary contexts to praise someone's long-term dedication.
After ten years of unremitting effort, he finally achieved his dream.
He continued his research with dogged perseverance.
Composed of 苦 (bitter, hardship) and 節 (section, node, fidelity). The combination suggests steadfastness through bitter times. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji components clearly convey the meaning.