难解 難解 nán jiě hard to solve / hard to dispel / hard to understand / hard to undo 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 涂抹 塗抹 tú mǒ to paint / to smear / to apply (makeup etc) / to doodle / to erase / to obliterate syn 抹去 mǒ qù to erase 磨灭 磨滅 mó miè to obliterate / to erase syn 抹杀 抹殺 mǒ shā to erase / to cover traces / to obliterate evidence / to expunge / to blot out / to suppress syn 擦除 cā chú to erase 洗雪 xǐ xuě to erase / to wipe out (a previous humiliation etc) syn 白板笔 白板筆 bái bǎn bǐ whiteboard marker / dry-erase marker 洗 xǐ to wash / to bathe / to develop (photographs) / to shuffle (cards etc) / to erase (a recording) syn 抹 mǒ to smear / to wipe / to erase / classifier for wisps of cloud, light-beams etc syn 报仇雪耻 報仇雪恥 bào chóu xuě chǐ to take revenge and erase humiliation (idiom) 擦写 擦寫 cā xiě to erase 抹消 mǒ xiāo to erase / to wipe 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 移动硬盘 移動硬盤 yí dòng yìng pán portable hard drive / external hard drive 苦练 苦練 kǔ liàn to train hard / to practice diligently / hard work / blood, sweat, and tears 硬碟 yìng dié (Tw) hard disk / hard drive 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 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 刻苦耐劳 刻苦耐勞 kè kǔ nài láo to bear hardships and work hard (idiom) / assiduous and long-suffering / hard-working and capable of overcoming adversity syn 戴盆望天 dài pén wàng tiān lit. viewing the sky with a basin on one's head / it is hard to get a clear view of the sky while carrying a platter on one's head / fig. it is hard to get on in one's career while encumbered by family obligations / one can't perform a major task while bothered by other duties syn 良工心苦 liáng gōng xīn kǔ expert craft from hard practice (idiom) / hard-won skill / A masterpiece demands suffering. 疑难杂症 疑難雜症 yí nán zá zhèng dubious or hard-to-treat cases (medicine) / hard cases 难以应付 難以應付 nán yǐ yìng fù hard to deal with / hard to handle 硬磁盘 硬磁盤 yìng cí pán hard drive / hard disk 明枪好躲，暗箭难防 明槍好躲，暗箭難防 míng qiāng hǎo duǒ , àn jiàn nán fáng lit. easy to dodge the spear in the open, hard to avoid a stab in the dark (idiom) / it is hard to guard against secret conspiracies 明枪易躲，暗箭难防 明槍易躲，暗箭難防 míng qiāng yì duǒ , àn jiàn nán fáng lit. easy to dodge the spear in the open, hard to avoid a stab in the dark (idiom) / it is hard to guard against secret conspiracies 硬墙营房 硬牆營房 yìng qiáng yíng fáng hard-walled camp / hard-walled module / rigid structure 硬墙宿舍 硬墻宿舍 hard-walled camp / hard-walled module / rigid structure 储存场 儲存場 chǔ cún chǎng hard-standing / hard-stand 难搞 難搞 nán gǎo hard to deal with / hard to get along with 硬式磁碟机 硬式磁碟機 yìng shì cí dié jī hard disk / hard drive 硬编码 硬編碼 yìng biān mǎ (computing) to hard code / hard-coded 目录 目錄 mù lù catalog / table of contents / directory (on computer hard drive) / list / contents syn 难以 難以 nán yǐ hard to (predict, imagine etc) syn 硬盘 硬盤 yìng pán hard disk 分配 fēn pèi to distribute / to assign / to allocate / to partition (a hard drive) syn 难得 難得 nán dé seldom / rare / hard to come by syn 想不到 xiǎng bu dào unexpected / hard to imagine / it had not occurred to me / who could have thought that syn 沉重 chén zhòng heavy / hard / serious / critical syn 艰难 艱難 jiān nán difficult / hard / challenging syn 难免 難免 nán miǎn hard to avoid / difficult to escape from / will inevitably syn 艰苦 艱苦 jiān kǔ difficult / hard / arduous syn 力争 力爭 lì zhēng to work hard for / to do all one can / to contend strongly syn 苦苦 kǔ kǔ strenuously / persistently / hard / painful 顽强 頑強 wán qiáng tenacious / hard to defeat syn 坚固 堅固 jiān gù firm / firmly / hard / stable 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 坚硬 堅硬 jiān yìng hard / solid syn 疑难 疑難 yí nán hard to understand / difficult to deal with / knotty / complicated syn 强硬 強硬 qiáng yìng tough / unyielding / hard-line syn 力学 力學 lì xué mechanics / to study hard 迷离 迷離 mí lí blurred / hard to make out distinctly syn 难堪 難堪 nán kān hard to take / embarrassed syn 难以置信 難以置信 nán yǐ zhì xìn (idiom) hard to believe / incredible syn 硬座 yìng zuò hard seat (on trains or boats) 硬卧 硬臥 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 syn 用功 yòng gōng diligent / industrious (in one's studies) / to study hard / to make great effort syn 奋战 奮戰 fèn zhàn to fight bravely / (fig.) to struggle / to work hard syn 力图 力圖 lì tú to try hard to / to strive to 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 无间 無間 wú jiàn very close / no gap between them / continuously / unbroken / hard to separate / indistinguishable syn 难保 難保 nán bǎo hard to say / can't guarantee / difficult to protect / difficult to preserve syn 金石 jīn shí metal and stone / fig. hard objects / inscription on metal or bronze 打拼 dǎ pīn to work hard / to try to make a living 手软 手軟 shǒu ruǎn to be lenient / to relent / to be reluctant to make a hard decision / to think twice syn 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 苦战 苦戰 kǔ zhàn bitter struggle / hard battle / arduous effort syn 纸质 紙質 zhǐ zhì (attributive) paper / hard-copy / printed / paper quality 窘迫 jiǒng pò poverty-stricken / very poor / hard-pressed / in a predicament / embarrassed syn 铁杆 鐵桿 tiě gǎn iron rod / zealous / die-hard 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 费解 費解 fèi jiě to be puzzled / hard to understand / unintelligible / incomprehensible syn 松软 鬆軟 sōng ruǎn flexible / not rigid / spongy / soft or runny (not set hard) / loose (soil) syn 硬性 yìng xìng rigid / inflexible / hard (drug) syn 受罪 shòu zuì to endure / to suffer / hardships / torments / a hard time / a nuisance syn 死守 sǐ shǒu to defend one's property to the death / to cling obstinately to old habits / die-hard 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 左右为难 左右為難 zuǒ yòu wéi nán (idiom) between a rock and a hard place / in a dilemma syn 苦力 kǔ lì bitter work / hard toil / (loanword) coolie, unskilled Chinese laborer in colonial times syn 恶战 惡戰 è zhàn hard fighting / fierce battle 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 苦命 kǔ mìng hard lot / bitter fate / unfortunate syn 血本 xuè běn hard-earned capital syn 难熬 難熬 nán áo (of pain or hardship) hard to bear 难测 難測 nán cè hard to fathom 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 吃紧 吃緊 chī jǐn in short supply / dire / tense / critical / hard-pressed / important syn 争气 爭氣 zhēng qì to work hard for sth / to resolve on improvement / determined not to fall short syn 血汗钱 血汗錢 xuè hàn qián hard-earned money syn 紧逼 緊逼 jǐn bī to press hard / to close in on 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 操劳 操勞 cāo láo to work hard / to look after syn 拮据 jié jū hard pressed for money / in financial straits 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 