"Difficult" • Chinese-English Dictionary

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困难 kùn nan difficult / challenging / straitened circumstances / difficult situation
艰难 jiān nán difficult / hard / challenging
艰苦 jiān kǔ difficult / hard / arduous
别扭 biè niu awkward / difficult / uncomfortable / not agreeing / at loggerheads / gauche
难 nán difficult (to...) / problem / difficulty / difficult / not good
不易 bù yì not easy to do sth / difficult / unchanging
艰辛 jiān xīn hardships / arduous / difficult
难缠 nán chán (usu. of people) difficult / demanding / troublesome / unreasonable / hard to deal with
艰 jiān difficult / hard / hardship
屯 zhūn difficult / stingy
蹇 jiǎn lame / cripple / unfortunate / slow / difficult / nag (inferior horse) / donkey / lame horse
挠头 náo tóu tricky / problematic / difficult / to scratch one's head (in puzzlement)
难捱 nán ái trying / difficult
严竣 yán jùn tight / strict / severe / stern / difficult
难过 nán guò to feel sad / to feel unwell / (of life) to be difficult
难题 nán tí difficult problem
好不容易 hǎo bù róng yì with great difficulty / very difficult
难免 nán miǎn hard to avoid / difficult to escape from / will inevitably
困惑 kùn huò bewildered / perplexed / confused / difficult problem / perplexity
难受 nán shòu to feel unwell / to suffer pain / to be difficult to bear
为难 wéi nán to feel embarrassed or awkward / to make things difficult (for someone) / to find things difficult (to do or manage)
狼狈 láng bèi in a difficult situation / to cut a sorry figure / scoundrel! (derog.)
身处 shēn chǔ in (some place) / to be in (adversity, a difficult situation, danger, turmoil etc) / to find oneself in / placed in / surrounded by
疑难 yí nán hard to understand / difficult to deal with / knotty / complicated
艰巨 jiān jù arduous / terrible (task) / very difficult / formidable
过不去 guò bu qù to make life difficult for / to embarrass / unable to make it through
自拔 zì bá to free oneself / to extricate oneself from a difficult situation
两难 liǎng nán dilemma / quandary / to face a difficult choice
难保 nán bǎo hard to say / can't guarantee / difficult to protect / difficult to preserve
缠身 chán shēn (of an illness, debt etc) to plague sb / to preoccupy sb / difficult to get rid of
攻坚 gōng jiān to assault a fortified position / (fig.) to concentrate one's efforts on a particularly difficult part of one's mission
重担 zhòng dàn heavy burden / difficult task / great responsibility
发难 fā nàn to rise in revolt / to raise difficult questions
吃不消 chī bu xiāo to be unable to tolerate or endure / to find sth difficult to manage
刁难 diāo nàn to be hard on sb / to deliberately make things difficult
度日 dù rì to pass one's days / to scratch out a difficult, meager existence
不在话下 bù zài huà xià to be nothing difficult / to be a cinch
难产 nán chǎn difficult birth / (fig.) difficult to achieve
狂风暴雨 kuáng fēng bào yǔ howling wind and torrential rain (idiom) / (fig.) difficult, dangerous situation
顽症 wán zhèng stubborn illness / disease that is difficult to treat
难懂 nán dǒng difficult to understand
艰险 jiān xiǎn difficult and dangerous / hardships and perils
排忧解难 pái yōu jiě nàn to resolve a difficult situation and leave worries behind (idiom)
困局 kùn jú dilemma / predicament / difficult situation
长途跋涉 cháng tú bá shè long and difficult trek
晦涩 huì sè difficult to understand / cryptic
独木桥 dú mù qiáo single-log bridge / (fig.) difficult path
惹不起 rě bu qǐ can't afford to offend / dare not provoke / difficult to deal with / insufferable
挖坑 wā kēng to dig a hole / (fig.) to make things difficult for sb / (neologism) (slang) (of a writer) to start work on a new project
万水千山 wàn shuǐ qiān shān ten thousand crags and torrents (idiom) / the trials and tribulations of a long journey / a long and difficult road
寸步难行 cùn bù nán xíng unable to move a single step (idiom) / to be in an (extremely) difficult situation
难走 nán zǒu hard to get to / difficult to travel (i.e. the road is bad)
闹别扭 nào biè niu to be difficult with sb / to provoke disagreement / at loggerheads / to fall out with
万难 wàn nán countless difficulties / extremely difficult / against all odds
险阻 xiǎn zǔ dangerous and difficult (path)
曲高和寡 qǔ gāo hè guǎ difficult songs find few singers (idiom) / highbrow
高难 gāo nán extremely difficult / hard and dangerous / challenging
万事开头难 wàn shì kāi tóu nán every beginning is difficult (idiom) / getting started is always the hardest part
留难 liú nàn to make sth difficult / to create obstacles
困厄 kùn è in deep water / difficult situation
枯木逢春 kū mù féng chūn lit. the spring comes upon a withered tree (idiom) / fig. to get a new lease on life / to be revived / (of a difficult situation) to suddenly improve
穿小鞋 chuān xiǎo xié lit. to make sb wear tight shoes (idiom) / to make life difficult for sb
夹生饭 jiā shēng fàn half-cooked rice / (fig.) half-finished job that is difficult to complete because it was not done properly in the first instance / Taiwan pr. [jia4 sheng5 fan4]
碍难 ài nán inconvenient / difficult for some reason / to find sth embarrassing
佶 jí difficult to pronounce
聱 áo difficult to pronounce
孤掌难鸣 gū zhǎng nán míng It's hard to clap with only one hand. / It takes two to tango / It's difficult to achieve anything without support.
爬山涉水 pá shān shè shuǐ to climb mountains and wade rivers (idiom) / fig. to make a long and difficult journey
磨杵成针 mó chǔ chéng zhēn to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom) / fig. to persevere in a difficult task / to study diligently
磨穿铁砚 mó chuān tiě yàn to grind one's way through an ink stone / to persevere in a difficult task (idiom) / to study diligently (idiom)
碍难从命 ài nán cóng mìng difficult to obey orders (idiom) / much to my embarrassment, I am unable to comply
覆水难收 fù shuǐ nán shōu spilt water is difficult to retrieve (idiom) / it's no use crying over spilt milk / what's done is done and can't be reversed / the damage is done / once divorced, there's no reuniting
一个巴掌拍不响 yī ge bā zhǎng pāi bù xiǎng lit. one palm alone cannot clap (proverb) / fig. it takes two persons to start a dispute / it takes two to tango / it's difficult to achieve anything without support
知易行难 zhī yì xíng nán easy to grasp but difficult to put into practice (idiom) / easier said than done
勉为其难 miǎn wéi qí nán to tackle a difficult job (idiom) / to do sth reluctantly
苦差 kǔ chāi hard task / difficult mission / arduous and unrewarding undertaking / drudgery / grind / chore
刺儿头 cì r tóu an awkward person / a difficult person to deal with
彆 biè contrary / difficult / awkward
打横炮 dǎ héng pào to butt in / to interfere / to make things difficult
掯 kèn to push down / to make things difficult / to take by force
破茧成蝶 pò jiǎn chéng dié lit. to break through a cocoon and turn into a butterfly (idiom) / fig. to emerge strong after a period of struggle / to get to a better place after going through difficult period
劳劳碌碌 láo láo lù lù tiring / difficult to get by / painful
千难万难 qiān nán wàn nán extremely difficult
只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针 zhǐ yào gōng fu shēn , tiě chǔ mó chéng zhēn If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle. / cf idiom 磨杵成針|磨杵成针, to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom) / fig. to persevere in a difficult task / to study diligently
坐蜡 zuò là to be embarrassed / to be put in a difficult situation
崖岸 yá àn cliff / steep slope / fig. arrogant and difficult person
巴巴结结 bā bā jiē jiē to manage with difficulty / only just getting by / in a difficult position
折挫 zhé cuò to frustrate / to inhibit / to make things difficult
放刁 fàng diāo to act wickedly / to bully / to make life difficult for sb by unreasonable actions
束矢难折 shù shǐ nán zhé lit. bundled arrows are difficult to break / there is strength in unity (idiom)
枷板 jiā bǎn cangue / fig. difficult situation
益觉困难 yì jué kùn nan to find sth increasingly difficult
行动不便 xíng dòng bù biàn unable to move freely / difficult to get about
躲风 duǒ fēng lit. to avoid the wind / fig. to keep low to avoid a difficult situation / to stay out of trouble
进退不得 jìn tuì bù dé can't advance or retreat (idiom) / no room for maneuver / stalled / in a dilemma / stuck in a difficult position
难以实现 nán yǐ shí xiàn hard to accomplish / difficult to achieve
难于接近 nán yú jiē jìn (of people) difficult to approach / inaccessible
难混 nán hùn difficult to arrange
难為 nán wéi difficult to do / difficult to manage
霜露 shuāng lù frost and dew / fig. difficult conditions
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