Chinese word

难以

Pronunciation

Pinyinnán yǐ

Meaning

  • adverbhard to

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)

More examples

这次损失难以弥补。zhè cì sǔn shī nán yǐ mí bǔ

This loss is hard to make up for.

Core concept

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

Common phrases

  • 难以理解nán yǐ lí jiě

    hard to understand

  • 难以弥补nán yǐ mí bǔ

    hard to make up for

  • 难以想象nán yí xiǎng xiàng

    hard to imagine

Similar words

不容易bù róng yì: Not easy to carry out, suggesting that completing it takes extra effort or time.
很难hěn nán: Very difficult to achieve or deal with, stressing a high degree of difficulty.

Definition in Chinese

表示因主观或客观原因某事很难做到，作副词使用，常接动词。biǎo shì yīn zhǔ guān huò kè guān yuán yīn mǒu shì hěn nán zuò dào zuò fù cí shǐ yòng cháng jiē dòng cí

Word origin

难以 (nányǐ, "hard to") pairs 难 (nán, "difficult") with the classical linking element 以 (yǐ, "to"), placing the difficulty directly before the action that follows.

Usage tips

  • 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.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word