荆棘载途

lit. a path covered in brambles / a course of action beset by difficulties (idiom)

chaste tree or berry (Vitex agnus-castus) / alternative name for the Zhou Dynasty state of Chu 楚國|楚国[Chu3 guo2]

thistles and thorns / brambles / thorny undergrowth

thorns

to record in writing / to carry (i.e. publish in a newspaper etc) / Taiwan pr. [zai4] / year

to carry / to convey / to load / to hold / to fill up / and / also / as well as / simultaneously

to cover the road (snow, wind, hazards etc) / distance (between locations)

way / route / road