辛 苦 xīn kǔ exhausting / hard / tough / arduous / to work hard / to go to a lot of trouble / hardship(s) 沉 重 chén zhòng heavy / hard / serious / critical 艰 难 jiān nán difficult / hard / challenging 艰 苦 jiān kǔ difficult / hard / arduous 坚 固 jiān gù firm / firmly / hard / stable 坚 硬 jiān yìng hard / solid 苦 苦 kǔ kǔ strenuously / persistently / hard / painful 硬 性 yìng xìng rigid / inflexible / hard (drug) 努 力 great effort / to strive / to try hard 目 录 mù lù catalog / table of contents / directory (on computer hard drive) / list / contents 难 以 nán yǐ hard to (predict, imagine etc) 硬 盘 yìng pán hard disk 分 配 fēn pèi to distribute / to assign / to allocate / to partition (a hard drive) 难 得 nán dé seldom / rare / hard to come by 想 不 到 xiǎng bu dào unexpected / hard to imagine / it had not occurred to me / who could have thought that 难 免 nán miǎn hard to avoid / difficult to escape from / will inevitably 力 争 lì zhēng to work hard for / to do all one can / to contend strongly 顽 强 wán qiáng tenacious / hard to defeat 机 车 jī chē locomotive / train engine car / (Tw) scooter / (Tw) (slang) hard to get along with / to be a pain in the ass / (Tw) damn! / crap! 疑 难 yí nán hard to understand / difficult to deal with / knotty / complicated 力 学 lì xué mechanics / to study hard 迷 离 mí lí blurred / hard to make out distinctly 贝 壳 bèi ké shell / conch / cowry / mother of pearl / hard outer skin / also pr. [bei4 qiao4] 难 堪 nán kān hard to take / embarrassed 难 以 置 信 nán yǐ zhì xìn hard to believe / incredible 硬 座 yìng zuò hard seat (on trains or boats) 硬 卧 yìng wò hard sleeper (a type of sleeper train ticket class with a harder bunk) 不 可 多 得 bù kě duō dé hard to come by / rare 用 功 yòng gōng diligent / industrious (in one's studies) / to study hard / to make great effort 苦 练 kǔ liàn to train hard / to practice diligently / hard work / blood, sweat, and tears 奋 战 fèn zhàn to fight bravely / (fig.) to struggle / to work hard 力 图 lì tú to try hard to / to strive to 卖 力 mài lì to work hard / to do one's very best / to throw oneself into the task at hand 无 间 wú jiàn very close / no gap between them / continuously / unbroken / hard to separate / indistinguishable 难 保 nán bǎo hard to say / can't guarantee / difficult to protect / difficult to preserve 金 石 jīn shí metal and stone / fig. hard objects / inscription on metal or bronze 硬 碟 yìng dié (Tw) hard disk / hard drive 打 拼 dǎ pīn to work hard / to try to make a living 难 解 nán jiě hard to solve / hard to dispel / hard to understand / hard to undo 手 软 shǒu ruǎn to be lenient / to relent / to be reluctant to make a hard decision / to think twice 症 结 zhēng jié hard lump in the abdomen (in Chinese medicine) / crux of an issue / main point in an argument / sticking point / deadlock in negotiations 苦 战 kǔ zhàn bitter struggle / hard battle / arduous effort 纸 质 zhǐ zhì paper / hard copy / printed (as opposed to electronically displayed) 好 容 易 hǎo róng yì (idiomatic usage) with great difficulty / to have a hard time (convincing sb, relinquishing sth etc) / (literal usage) so easy 难 说 nán shuō hard to tell (i.e. hard to judge or hard to predict) / cannot bring oneself to say it 费 解 fèi jiě to be puzzled / hard to understand / unintelligible / incomprehensible 受 罪 shòu zuì to endure / to suffer / hardships / torments / a hard time / a nuisance 难 缠 nán chán (usu. of people) difficult / demanding / troublesome / unreasonable / hard to deal with 刁 难 diāo nàn to be hard on sb / to deliberately make things difficult 左 右 为 难 zuǒ yòu wéi nán (idiom) between a rock and a hard place / in a dilemma 苦 力 kǔ lì bitter work / hard toil / (loanword) coolie, unskilled Chinese laborer in colonial times 恶 战 è zhàn hard fighting / fierce battle 闭 塞 bì sè to stop up / to close up / hard to get to / out of the way / inaccessible / unenlightened / blocking 苦 命 kǔ mìng hard lot / bitter fate / unfortunate 难 熬 nán áo hard to bear / unendurable (pain, suffering) 难 测 nán cè hard to fathom 想 不 开 xiǎng bu kāi cannot figure out / to be unable to take a lighter view / to take things too hard / to be depressed / to fret over trifles 争 气 zhēng qì to work hard for sth / to resolve on improvement / determined not to fall short 紧 逼 jǐn bī to press hard / to close in on 操 劳 cāo láo to work hard / to look after 拮 据 jié jū hard pressed for money / in financial straits 发 奋 fā fèn to make an effort / to push for sth / to work hard 苦 思 kǔ sī to think hard / bitter thoughts / to pour out one's sufferings 恶 斗 è dòu hard fighting / fierce battle 劳 苦 láo kǔ to toil / hard work 力 挽 狂 澜 lì wǎn kuáng lán to pull strongly against a crazy tide (idiom) / fig. to try hard to save a desperate crisis 任 劳 任 怨 rèn láo rèn yuàn to work hard without complaint (idiom) 难 以 启 齿 nán yǐ qǐ chǐ to be too embarrassed to mention sth (idiom) / to find it hard to speak about sth 难 以 捉 摸 nán yǐ zhuō mō elusive / hard to pin down / enigmatic 硬 笔 yìng bǐ generic term for hard writing instruments such as quill pens, fountain pens, ball pens and pencils, as opposed to writing brushes 难 行 nán xíng hard to pass 刻 苦 学 习 kè kǔ xué xí to study hard / assiduous 劳 碌 láo lù to work hard / to toil 清 零 qīng líng to restore sth to its initial state / to reset (an odometer etc) / to empty (a bank account) / to eradicate (a disease) / (computing) to clear (memory) / to zero (a hard drive) 苦 干 kǔ gàn to work hard 难 走 nán zǒu hard to get to / difficult to travel (i.e. the road is bad) 稳 扎 稳 打 wěn zhā wěn dǎ to go steady and strike hard (in fighting) / fig. steadily and surely 恶 补 è bǔ to overdose on supplementary medicine / to cram too hard 难 兄 难 弟 nán xiōng nán dì lit. hard to differentiate between elder and younger brother (idiom) / fig. one is just as bad as the other 苦 功 kǔ gōng hard work / laborious effort / painstaking work 冥 思 苦 想 míng sī kǔ xiǎng to consider from all angles (idiom) / to think hard / to rack one's brains 苦 工 kǔ gōng hard labor (in penal code) / coolie 骑 虎 难 下 qí hǔ nán xià if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off (idiom) / fig. impossible to stop halfway 苦 尽 甘 来 kǔ jìn gān lái bitterness finishes, sweetness begins (idiom) / the hard times are over, the good times just beginning 硬 壳 yìng ké crust / hard shell 千 锤 百 炼 qiān chuí bǎi liàn after hard work and numerous revisions (idiom) / the vicissitudes of life 苦 思 冥 想 kǔ sī míng xiǎng to consider from all angles (idiom) / to think hard / to rack one's brains 硬 邦 邦 yìng bāng bāng very hard 风 雨 同 舟 fēng yǔ tóng zhōu lit. in the same boat under wind and rain (idiom) / fig. to stick together in hard times 迎 头 赶 上 yíng tóu gǎn shàng to try hard to catch up 难 解 难 分 nán jiě nán fēn hard to untie, hard to separate (idiom) / inextricably involved / locked in battle 高 难 gāo nán extremely difficult / hard and dangerous / challenging 拗 口 ào kǒu hard to pronounce / awkward-sounding 着 力 zhuó lì to put effort into sth / to try really hard 狂 饮 kuáng yǐn to drink hard 开 足 马 力 kāi zú mǎ lì to accelerate at full power (idiom) / at full speed / fig. to work as hard as possible 拼 死 拼 活 pīn sǐ pīn huó one's utmost / (to fight or work) desperately hard / to put up a life or death struggle / at all costs 锐 不 可 当 ruì bù kě dāng unstoppable / hard to hold back 重 听 zhòng tīng hard of hearing 哭 穷 kū qióng to bewail one's poverty / to complain about being hard up / to pretend to be poor
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