难以

• Pinyin: nán yǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 难 = 又 + 隹, difficult; 以 = ancient character meaning to use

Meaning

Hard to; difficult to. Used before verbs to indicate something is difficult to do.

A more formal alternative to 很难. Always followed by a verb. Common collocations include 难以置信 (hard to believe), 难以理解 (hard to understand), 难以忘记 (hard to forget). Has a slightly literary tone.

Examples

1. 这种痛苦的感觉真的难以用语言来形容。 This painful feeling is truly hard to describe in words.
2. 他做出了一个难以理解的决定。 He made a decision that is hard to understand.
3. 事情发展到这一步，已经难以挽回了。 Things have developed to this point; it's already hard to reverse.

Usage Guide

Context: written, formal speech, descriptions

Tone: formal

Do Say

• 这件事难以解释清楚。(This matter is hard to explain clearly.)
• 真相难以接受，但必须面对。(The truth is hard to accept, but must be faced.)

Don't Say

• 我难以你。(难以 must be followed by a verb, not a noun — say 我难以理解你 for 'I find you hard to understand')

Origin & History

难 (nán, difficult) + 以 (yǐ, to use/with). Difficult to use (a method to do something); hence, hard to accomplish.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal