苦尽甘来

kǔ jìn gān lái

after hardship comes happiness

Character by character

苦kǔ
bitterness

尽jìn
ends

甘gān
sweetness

来lái
comes

经过多年的努力，他终于苦尽甘来。

After years of hard work, his struggles finally paid off.

Tone: positive (praise).

Often 终于苦尽甘来; describes life turning sweet after hardship.

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