苦心

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: In 苦心 (くしん), difficulty 苦 and mind 心 combine to denote painstaking effort.
• Basic usage: 苦心 is the mental effort and ingenuity spent trying to solve a difficult problem.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Effort spent overcoming difficulty
  • It includes the process of seeking a solution, not merely the feeling of suffering.