棘

meaning for 棘 jí:

• - thornsthorny (problem)
• - intractablethistles and thorns
• - brambles
• - thorny undergrowthsea-buckthornlit. to cut one's way through thistles and thorns (idiom)
• - fig. to overcome all obstacles on the way
• - to break through hardships
• - to blaze a new trailechinoderm, the phylum containing sea urchins, sea cucumbers etc