English–Chinese

“hard to” in Chinese

Chinese

Pronunciation

Pinyinnán yǐ

Example

这个问题难以解决。zhè ge wèn tí nán yí jiě jué

This problem is hard to solve.

Illustration for 难以 (hard to)

How to say “hard to” in Chinese

“Hard to” in Chinese is 难以 (nán yǐ).

The path from intention to completed action is blocked or steep, so the action resists being carried out.

Full entry for 难以: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 难以

这次损失难以弥补。zhè cì sǔn shī nán yǐ mí bǔ

This loss is hard to make up for.

Tips for using 难以

  • Chinese often places this adverb before the action instead of using English's empty subject "it", allowing the sentence to move directly from its topic to what is difficult.

“hard to” in other languages