吃
力
不
讨
好
c
h
ī
c
h
ī
l
ì
l
ì
b
ù
b
ù
t
á
o
t
ǎ
o
h
ǎ
o
h
ǎ
o
Definitions
1. arduous and thankless task (idiom); strenuous and unrewarding
Components
吃力
chī lì
–
to entail strenuous effort
不
bù
–
(negative prefix)
讨好
tǎo hǎo
–
to get the desired outcome