HSK · Level 103
45 words
Chinese word
棘手
Pronunciation
Pinyinjí shǒu
Meaning
- adjectivetricky
Example
这个问题很棘手，需要大家一起想办法。zhè ge wèn tí hěn jí shǒu xū yào dà jiā yì qǐ xiǎng bàn fǎ
This problem is very tricky, so everyone needs to think of a solution together.
More examples
这项棘手的任务需要我们分工完成。zhè xiàng jí shǒu de rèn wù xū yào wǒ men fēn gōng wán chéng
We need to divide the work to complete this tricky task.
Core concept
A problem with sharp edges that is hard to handle and takes careful effort to resolve.
Common phrases
棘手的情况jí shǒu de qíng kuàng
tricky situation
棘手的任务jí shǒu de rèn wù
tricky task
棘手的难题jí shǒu de nán tí
tricky problem
Similar words
麻烦má fán: Inconvenient and time-consuming to deal with, often creating extra work.
难办nán bàn: Hard to handle or settle and not easily resolved.
复杂fù zá: Made difficult by many connected parts or details that are hard to organize or understand.
Definition in Chinese
处理起来很困难、需要费心费力并且容易让人感到头疼的事或情况chú lǐ qǐ lái hěn kùn nán xū yào fèi xīn fèi lì bìng qiě róng yì ràng rén gǎn dào tóu téng de shì huò qíng kuàng
Word origin
棘 (jí, "thorn") + 手 (shǒu, "hand") forms the image of handling something that pricks, which develops into the sense of a matter that is difficult to deal with.
Usage tips
- In everyday Chinese, 棘手 (jíshǒu, "tricky") usually describes a problem, situation, or question rather than a person, so applying it directly to someone can sound like calling that person troublesome.