"Tough" • Chinese-English Dictionary
| 厉害 |  lì hai | (used to describe sb or sth that makes a very strong impression, whether favorable or unfavorable) terrible / intense / severe / devastating / amazing / awesome / outstanding / (of a person) stern / strict / harsh / shrewd / tough / (of an animal) fierce / (of a resemblance) striking / (of liquor or chili pepper) strong / (of bacteria) virulent |   |
| 辛苦 | xīn kǔ | exhausting / hard / tough / arduous / to work hard / to go to a lot of trouble / hardship(s) | |
| 利害 | lì hai | terrible / formidable / serious / devastating / tough / capable / sharp / severe / fierce | |
| 老 | lǎo | prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity / old (of people) / venerable (person) / experienced / of long standing / always / all the time / of the past / very / outdated / (of meat etc) tough | |
| 强悍 | qiáng hàn | tough / strong / formidable / fearsome | |
| 强硬 | qiáng yìng | tough / unyielding / hard-line | |
| 韧 | rèn | annealed / pliable but strong / tough / tenacious | |
| 倔 | jué | crabby / tough | |
| 憨 | hān | silly / simple-minded / foolish / naive / sturdy / tough / heavy (of rope) | |
| 艮 | gěn | blunt / tough / chewy | |
| 皮实 | pí shi | (of things) durable / (of people) sturdy / tough | |
| 坚韧 | jiān rèn | tough and durable / tenacious | |
| 牛皮 | niú pí | cowhide / leather / fig. flexible and tough / boasting / big talk | |
| 难为 | nán wei | to bother / to press sb, usu. to do sth / it's a tough job / sorry to bother you (polite, used to thank sb for a favor) | |
| 凶悍 | xiōng hàn | violent / fierce and tough / shrewish (woman) | |
| 硬汉 | yìng hàn | man of steel / unyielding, tough guy | |
| 柔韧 | róu rèn | pliable and tough / supple and strong / flexible | |
| 彪悍 | biāo hàn | tough as nails / formidable / kick-ass / plucky | |
| 强韧 | qiáng rèn | resilient / tough and strong | |
| 逆水行舟 | nì shuǐ xíng zhōu | lit. navigating a boat against the current (idiom) / fig. in a tough environment (one needs to work hard) | |
| 力挫 | lì cuò | to win as a result of tenacious effort / to fight off tough competition | |
| 劲草 | jìng cǎo | tough upright grass / fig. a staunch character able to withstand tough test | |
| 绢 | juàn | thin, tough silk fabric | |
| 倔 | juè | crabby / tough | |
| 虎背熊腰 | hǔ bèi xióng yāo | back of a tiger and waist of a bear / tough and stocky build | |
| 出难题 | chū nán tí | to raise a tough question | |
| 来硬的 | lái yìng de | to get tough / to use force | |
| 强硬立场 | qiáng yìng lì chǎng | tough position | |
| 患难见真情 | huàn nàn jiàn zhēn qíng | true sentiments are seen in hard times (idiom) / you see who your true friends are when you go through tough times together / you see who your true friends are when you are in difficulties | |
| 最牛 | zuì niú | tough as nails | |
| 熊腰虎背 | xióng yāo hǔ bèi | waist of a bear and back of a tiger / tough and stocky build | |
| 命途坎坷 | mìng tú kǎn kě | to have a tough life / to meet much adversity in one's life | |
| 太妹 | tài mèi | girl delinquent / tomboy / schoolgirl tough | |
| 外刚内柔 | wài gāng nèi róu | soft on the inside despite one's hard shell / appearing tough on the outside as to mask one's inner vulnerability / also written 內柔外剛|内柔外刚[nei4 rou2 wai4 gang1] | |
| 老天爷饿不死瞎家雀 | lǎo tiān yé è bù sǐ xiā jiā què | lit. heaven won't let the sparrows go hungry (idiom) / fig. don't give up hope / if you tough it out, there will be light at the end of the tunnel | |
| 硬骨头 | yìng gǔ tou | resolute individual / a hard nut to crack / tough mission / difficult task | |
| 有本事 | yǒu běn shi | to have what it takes / (coll.) (often followed by 就[jiu4]) (used to challenge sb) if you're so clever, ..., if she's so tough, ... etc / Example: 有本事就打我[you3 ben3 shi5 jiu4 da3 wo3] Hit me if you dare! | |
| 遇强则强 | yù qiáng zé qiáng | tough adversaries make you stronger | |
