困难 困難 kùn nan difficult / challenging / straitened circumstances / difficult situation syn 为难 為難 wéi nán to feel embarrassed or awkward / to make things difficult (for someone) / to find things difficult (to do or manage) syn 难保 難保 nán bǎo hard to say / can't guarantee / difficult to protect / difficult to preserve syn 难产 難產 nán chǎn difficult birth / (fig.) difficult to achieve 难 難 nán difficult (to...) / problem / difficulty / difficult / not good syn 难為 難為 nán wéi difficult to do / difficult to manage 难上加难 難上加難 nán shàng jiā nán extremely difficult / even more difficult syn 难上难 難上難 nán shàng nán extremely difficult / even more difficult 克难 克難 kè nán to make do in difficult circumstances by being resourceful / (of circumstances) difficult / challenging / (of a budget) tight / (of a man-made thing) makeshift / rough and ready 发音 發音 fā yīn to pronounce / pronunciation / to emit sound syn 明言 míng yán to say clearly / to argue clearly / to pronounce / pronounced 拗口 ào kǒu hard to pronounce / awkward-sounding syn 咬字 yǎo zì to pronounce (clearly or otherwise) / to enunciate 读 讀 dú to read out / to read aloud / to read / to attend (school) / to study (a subject in school) / to pronounce syn 吐字 tǔ zì diction / enunciation / (opera) to pronounce the words correctly 拼读 拼讀 pīn dú to pronounce a word after mentally processing its spelling / (phonics) blending 训读 訓讀 xùn dú a reading of a written Chinese word derived from a synonym (typically, a vernacular synonym) (e.g. in Mandarin, 投子[tou2 zi5] may be pronounced as its synonym 色子[shai3 zi5], and in Wu dialects, 二 is pronounced as its synonym 兩|两 "liahn") / to pronounce a word using such a reading / (Japanese linguistics) kun-reading, a pronunciation of a kanji derived from a native Japanese word that matches its meaning rather than from the pronunciation of the character in a Sinitic language at the time it was imported from China (Note: A kun-reading of a character is distinguished from its on-reading(s) 音讀|音读[yin1 du2]. For example, 山 has a kun-reading "yama" and an on-reading "san".) 多么 多麼 duō me how (wonderful etc) / what (a great idea etc) / however (difficult it may be etc) / (in interrogative sentences) how (much etc) / to what extent syn 难过 難過 nán guò to feel sad / to feel unwell / (of life) to be difficult syn 难题 難題 nán tí difficult problem syn 不易 bù yì not easy to do sth / difficult / unchanging syn 艰难 艱難 jiān nán difficult / hard / challenging syn 好不容易 hǎo bù róng yì with great difficulty / very difficult syn 难免 難免 nán miǎn hard to avoid / difficult to escape from / will inevitably syn 困惑 kùn huò bewildered / perplexed / confused / difficult problem / perplexity syn 难受 難受 nán shòu to feel unwell / to suffer pain / to be difficult to bear syn 艰苦 艱苦 jiān kǔ difficult / hard / arduous syn 艰辛 艱辛 jiān xīn hardships / arduous / difficult syn 狼狈 狼狽 láng bèi in a difficult situation / to cut a sorry figure / scoundrel! (derog.) syn 身处 身處 shēn chǔ in (some place) / to be in (adversity, a difficult situation, danger, turmoil etc) / to find oneself in / placed in / surrounded by syn 疑难 疑難 yí nán hard to understand / difficult to deal with / knotty / complicated syn 别扭 彆扭 biè niu awkward / difficult / uncomfortable / not agreeing / at loggerheads / gauche syn 艰巨 艱巨 jiān jù (of a task, mission or responsibility) extremely difficult / challenging / demanding syn 过不去 過不去 guò bu qù to make life difficult for / to embarrass / unable to make it through syn 自拔 zì bá to free oneself / to extricate oneself from a difficult situation syn 两难 兩難 liǎng nán dilemma / quandary / to face a difficult choice syn 攻坚 攻堅 gōng jiān to assault a fortified position / (fig.) to concentrate one's efforts on a particularly difficult part of one's mission 重担 重擔 zhòng dàn heavy burden / difficult task / great responsibility syn 发难 發難 fā nàn to rise in revolt / to raise difficult questions syn 吃不消 chī bu xiāo to be unable to tolerate or endure / to find sth difficult to manage syn 难缠 難纏 nán chán (usu. of people) difficult / demanding / troublesome / unreasonable / hard to deal with 刁难 刁難 diāo nàn to be hard on sb / to deliberately make things difficult / Taiwan pr. [diao1nan2] syn 度日 dù rì to pass one's days / to scratch out a difficult, meager existence syn 不在话下 不在話下 bù zài huà xià to be nothing difficult / to be a cinch syn 狂风暴雨 狂風暴雨 kuáng fēng bào yǔ howling wind and torrential rain (idiom) / (fig.) difficult, dangerous situation syn 难懂 難懂 nán dǒng difficult to understand 艰险 艱險 jiān xiǎn difficult and dangerous / hardships and perils syn 排忧解难 排憂解難 pái yōu jiě nàn to resolve a difficult situation and leave worries behind (idiom) syn 困局 kùn jú dilemma / predicament / difficult situation 扰民 擾民 rǎo mín (of government policy, noise pollution, crime etc) to make people's lives difficult syn 长途跋涉 長途跋涉 cháng tú bá shè long and difficult trek syn 晦涩 晦澀 huì sè difficult to understand / cryptic syn 独木桥 獨木橋 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 硬仗 yìng zhàng tough battle / difficult task / big challenge syn 万水千山 萬水千山 wàn shuǐ qiān shān ten thousand crags and torrents (idiom) / the trials and tribulations of a long journey / a long and difficult road syn 寸步难行 寸步難行 cùn bù nán xíng unable to move a single step (idiom) / to be in an (extremely) difficult situation syn 难走 難走 nán zǒu hard to get to / difficult to travel (i.e. the road is bad) 闹别扭 鬧彆扭 nào biè niu to be difficult with sb / to provoke disagreement / at loggerheads / to fall out with syn 万难 萬難 wàn nán countless difficulties / extremely difficult / against all odds syn 险阻 險阻 xiǎn zǔ dangerous and difficult (path) syn 曲高和寡 qǔ gāo hè guǎ difficult songs find few singers (idiom) / highbrow syn 高难 高難 gāo nán extremely difficult / hard and dangerous / challenging syn 万事开头难 萬事開頭難 wàn shì kāi tóu nán every beginning is difficult (idiom) / getting started is always the hardest part syn 留难 留難 liú nàn to make sth difficult / to create obstacles syn 困厄 kùn è in deep water / difficult situation syn 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 syn 穿小鞋 chuān xiǎo xié lit. to make sb wear tight shoes (idiom) / to make life difficult for sb syn 夹生饭 夾生飯 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 礙難 ài nán inconvenient / difficult for some reason / to find sth embarrassing syn 艰 艱 jiān difficult / hard / hardship syn 蹇 jiǎn lame / cripple / unfortunate / slow / difficult / nag (inferior horse) / donkey / lame horse syn 孤掌难鸣 孤掌難鳴 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. syn 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 磨杵成針 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 syn 磨穿铁砚 磨穿鐵硯 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 礙難從命 ài nán cóng mìng difficult to obey orders (idiom) / much to my embarrassment, I am unable to comply 覆水难收 覆水難收 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 syn 一个巴掌拍不响 一個巴掌拍不響 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 知易行難 zhī yì xíng nán easy to grasp but difficult to put into practice (idiom) / easier said than done 勉为其难 勉為其難 miǎn wéi qí nán to tackle a difficult job (idiom) / to do sth reluctantly syn 彆 biè contrary / difficult / awkward 打横炮 打橫炮 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 难捱 難捱 nán ái trying / difficult 严竣 嚴竣 yán jùn tight / strict / severe / stern / difficult 不好说 不好說 bù hǎo shuō hard to say / can't be sure / difficult to speak about / unpleasant to say 刺儿头 刺兒頭 cì r tóu troublesome person / difficult person to deal with syn 劳劳碌碌 勞勞碌碌 láo láo lù lù tiring / difficult to get by / painful 千难万难 千難萬難 qiān nán wàn nán extremely difficult syn 只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针 只要功夫深，鐵杵磨成針 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 坐蠟 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 巴巴結結 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 挠头 撓頭 náo tóu tricky / problematic / difficult / to scratch one's head (in puzzlement) syn 放刁 fàng diāo to act wickedly / to bully / to make life difficult for sb by unreasonable actions syn 