努力 nǔ lì to make an effort / to try hard / to strive / hard-working / conscientious syn 辛苦 xīn kǔ exhausting / hard / tough / arduous / to work hard / to go to a lot of trouble / hardship(s) syn 难说 難說 nán shuō hard to tell (i.e. hard to judge or hard to predict) / cannot bring oneself to say it syn 苦练 苦練 kǔ liàn to train hard / to practice diligently / hard work / blood, sweat, and tears 扬言 揚言 yáng yán to put about (a story, plan, threat etc) / to let it be known (esp. of threat or malicious story) / to threaten syn 难解难分 難解難分 nán jiě nán fēn hard to untie, hard to separate (idiom) / inextricably involved / locked in battle syn 移动硬盘 移動硬盤 yí dòng yìng pán portable hard drive / external hard drive 硬碟 yìng dié (Tw) hard disk / hard drive 难解 難解 nán jiě hard to solve / hard to dispel / hard to understand / hard to undo 潜在威胁 潛在威脅 qián zài wēi xié potential threat / potential menace 积重难返 積重難返 jī zhòng nán fǎn ingrained habits are hard to overcome (idiom) / bad old practices die hard syn 黄祸 黃禍 huáng huò yellow peril (offensive term referring to the perceived threat to Western nations, of immigration or military expansion from East Asian nations) 整 zhěng (bound form) whole / complete / entire / (before a measure word) whole / (before or after number + measure word) exactly / (bound form) in good order / tidy / neat / (bound form) to put in order / to straighten / (bound form) to repair / to mend / to renovate / (coll.) to fix sb / to give sb a hard time / to mess with sb / (dialect) to tinker with / to do sth to syn 难以置信 難以置信 nán yǐ zhì xìn (idiom) hard to believe / incredible syn 难以 難以 nán yǐ hard to (predict, imagine etc) syn 艰难 艱難 jiān nán difficult / hard / challenging syn 难堪 難堪 nán kān hard to take / embarrassed syn 想不到 xiǎng bu dào unexpected / hard to imagine / it had not occurred to me / who could have thought that syn 分配 fēn pèi to distribute / to assign / to allocate / to partition (a hard drive) syn 强硬 強硬 qiáng yìng tough / unyielding / hard-line syn 硬盘 硬盤 yìng pán hard disk 沉重 chén zhòng heavy / hard / serious / critical syn 难得 難得 nán dé seldom / rare / hard to come by syn 艰苦 艱苦 jiān kǔ difficult / hard / arduous syn 目录 目錄 mù lù catalog / table of contents / directory (on computer hard drive) / list / contents syn 卖力 賣力 mài lì to work hard / to do one's very best / to throw oneself into the task at hand syn 坚固 堅固 jiān gù firm / firmly / hard / stable syn 难免 難免 nán miǎn hard to avoid / difficult to escape from / will inevitably syn 苦苦 kǔ kǔ strenuously / persistently / hard / painful 受罪 shòu zuì to endure / to suffer / hardships / torments / a hard time / a nuisance syn 坚硬 堅硬 jiān yìng hard / solid syn 顽强 頑強 wán qiáng tenacious / hard to defeat syn 机车 機車 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! syn 用功 yòng gōng diligent / industrious (in one's studies) / to study hard / to make great effort syn 难以启齿 難以啟齒 nán yǐ qǐ chǐ to be too embarrassed to mention sth (idiom) / to find it hard to speak about sth syn 手软 手軟 shǒu ruǎn to be lenient / to relent / to be reluctant to make a hard decision / to think twice syn 奋战 奮戰 fèn zhàn to fight bravely / (fig.) to struggle / to work hard syn 苦力 kǔ lì bitter work / hard toil / (loanword) coolie, unskilled Chinese laborer in colonial times syn 焦头烂额 焦頭爛額 jiāo tóu làn é lit. badly burned about the head (from trying to put out a fire) (idiom) / fig. hard-pressed / under pressure (from a heavy workload, creditors etc) syn 费解 費解 fèi jiě to be puzzled / hard to understand / unintelligible / incomprehensible syn 血汗 xuè hàn (fig.) sweat and toil / hard work syn 难保 難保 nán bǎo hard to say / can't guarantee / difficult to protect / difficult to preserve syn 刁难 刁難 diāo nàn to be hard on sb / to deliberately make things difficult / Taiwan pr. [diao1nan2] syn 迷离 迷離 mí lí blurred / hard to make out distinctly syn 左右为难 左右為難 zuǒ yòu wéi nán (idiom) between a rock and a hard place / in a dilemma syn 窘迫 jiǒng pò poverty-stricken / very poor / hard-pressed / in a predicament / embarrassed syn 争气 爭氣 zhēng qì to work hard for sth / to resolve on improvement / determined not to fall short syn 磁碟 cí dié (magnetic) computer disk (hard disk or floppy) 症结 癥結 zhēng jié hard lump in the abdomen (in Chinese medicine) / crux of an issue / main point in an argument / sticking point / deadlock in negotiations syn 狂饮 狂飲 kuáng yǐn to drink hard syn 操劳 操勞 cāo láo to work hard / to look after syn 苦工 kǔ gōng hard labor (in penal code) / coolie syn 松软 鬆軟 sōng ruǎn flexible / not rigid / spongy / soft or runny (not set hard) / loose (soil) syn 安全帽 ān quán mào safety helmet / hard hat / CL:頂|顶[ding3] 紧逼 緊逼 jǐn bī to press hard / to close in on syn 力挽狂澜 力挽狂瀾 lì wǎn kuáng lán to pull strongly against a crazy tide (idiom) / fig. to try hard to save a desperate crisis syn 力争 力爭 lì zhēng to work hard for / to do all one can / to contend strongly syn 死守 sǐ shǒu to defend one's property to the death / to cling obstinately to old habits / die-hard syn 开足马力 開足馬力 kāi zú mǎ lì to accelerate at full power (idiom) / at full speed / fig. to work as hard as possible syn 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 syn 力图 力圖 lì tú to try hard to / to strive to syn 血本 xuè běn hard-earned capital syn 苦战 苦戰 kǔ zhàn bitter struggle / hard battle / arduous effort syn 恶战 惡戰 è zhàn hard fighting / fierce battle syn 迎头赶上 迎頭趕上 yíng tóu gǎn shàng to try hard to catch up syn 不可多得 bù kě duō dé hard to come by / rare syn 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 syn 闭塞 閉塞 bì sè to stop up / to close up / hard to get to / out of the way / inaccessible / unenlightened / blocking syn 拮据 jié jū hard pressed for money / in financial straits syn 骑虎难下 騎虎難下 qí hǔ nán xià if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off (idiom) / fig. impossible to stop halfway syn 疑难 疑難 yí nán hard to understand / difficult to deal with / knotty / complicated syn 纸质 紙質 zhǐ zhì (attributive) paper / hard-copy / printed / paper quality 苦命 kǔ mìng hard lot / bitter fate / unfortunate syn 脱皮 脫皮 tuō pí (of paint etc) to peel off / to flake off / (of an insect or snake etc) to molt / (of skin) to peel off due to hard labor, blistering or sunburn etc / (fig.) to go through a grueling experience syn 劳苦 勞苦 láo kǔ to toil / hard work syn 硬壳 硬殼 yìng ké crust / hard shell syn 力学 力學 lì xué mechanics / to study hard 吃紧 吃緊 chī jǐn in short supply / dire / tense / critical / hard-pressed / important syn 苦干 苦幹 kǔ gàn to work hard 恶斗 惡鬥 è dòu hard fighting / fierce battle 稳扎稳打 穩扎穩打 wěn zhā wěn dǎ to go steady and strike hard (in fighting) / fig. steadily and surely syn 硬邦邦 yìng bāng bāng very hard syn 劳碌 勞碌 láo lù to work hard / to toil syn 高难 高難 gāo nán extremely difficult / hard and dangerous / challenging syn 拗口 ào kǒu hard to pronounce / awkward-sounding syn 任劳任怨 任勞任怨 rèn láo rèn yuàn to work hard without complaint (idiom) syn 着力 著力 zhuó lì to put effort into sth / to try really hard syn 硬性 yìng xìng rigid / inflexible / hard (drug) syn 苦功 kǔ gōng hard work / laborious effort / painstaking work 苦尽甘来 苦盡甘來 kǔ jìn gān lái bitterness finishes, sweetness begins (idiom) / the hard times are over, the good times just beginning syn 硬座 yìng zuò hard seat (on trains or boats) 金石 jīn shí metal and stone / fig. hard objects / inscription on metal or bronze 想不开 想不開 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 syn 发奋 發奮 fā fèn to make an effort / to push for sth / to work hard syn 风雨同舟 風雨同舟 fēng yǔ tóng zhōu lit. in the same boat under wind and rain (idiom) / fig. to stick together in hard times syn 苦思 kǔ sī to think hard / bitter thoughts / to pour out one's sufferings syn 苦思冥想 kǔ sī míng xiǎng to consider from all angles (idiom) / to think hard / to rack one's brains syn 重听 重聽 zhòng tīng hard of hearing syn 哭穷 哭窮 kū qióng to bewail one's poverty / to complain about being hard up / to pretend to be poor 