How do you use "A piece of work" in a sentence?

His mother-in-law is a real piece of work. That customer was a piece of work — complained about everything. She's a piece of work, but I love her anyway.

A piece of work

American Slang Term American ★★★★☆ Common Casual

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Significado: A difficult, complicated, or obnoxious person who is hard to deal with.

一个难搞、麻烦、令人头疼的人。

Una persona difícil, complicada o insoportable con la que cuesta tratar.

扱いにくくて厄介な人、一筋縄ではいかない人物。

상대하기 힘들고 복잡하고 까다로운 사람.

Usually negative — describes someone who is demanding, dramatic, unreasonable, or otherwise exhausting. Can occasionally be used with grudging admiration for someone bold or unique, but mostly it's a complaint.

通常是贬义——形容一个苛刻、作天作地、蛮不讲理或让人精疲力竭的人。偶尔也可以带有勉强的欣赏意味，用于形容大胆或独特的人，但大多数时候是在抱怨。

Normalmente negativo — describe a alguien exigente, dramático, irrazonable o simplemente agotador. Ocasionalmente puede usarse con admiración a regañadientes por alguien atrevido o único, pero generalmente es una queja.

たいてい否定的な意味で、わがまま、大げさ、理不尽、またはとにかく疲れる人を表す。大胆さやユニークさに対するしぶしぶの称賛として使われることもあるが、ほとんどは不満を表す言葉。

보통 부정적인 의미로, 요구가 많고 유난스럽고 무리한 요구를 하거나 상대하면 진이 빠지는 사람을 묘사한다. 가끔 대담하거나 독특한 사람에 대한 마지못한 감탄으로 쓰일 수도 있지만, 대부분은 불만이다.

Ejemplos

His mother-in-law is a real piece of work.
他岳母真是个难搞的人。
Su suegra es un auténtico caso.
彼の義母は本当に厄介な人だよ。
그의 장모는 정말 만만치 않은 사람이야.
That customer was a piece of work — complained about everything.
那个顾客简直奇葩——什么都要投诉。
Menudo elemento el cliente ese — se quejó de absolutamente todo.
あのお客さんはとんでもない人で、何もかもにクレームをつけた。
그 손님 정말 장난 아니었어 — 모든 것에 불만을 토로했지.
She's a piece of work, but I love her anyway.
她是个够呛的人，但我还是喜欢她。
Es todo un personaje, pero la quiero igual.
彼女は相当クセが強いけど、それでも好きなんだよね。
그녀는 정말 별나지만, 그래도 좋아해.

Pronunciación

Guía de uso

Contexto: complaints, descriptions, venting

Tono: exasperated, judgmental

✓ Correcto

She's a real piece of work.
She's a real piece of work.
Es todo un elemento.
彼女は本当に厄介な人だよ。
그 여자 진짜 만만치 않은 사람이야.
What a piece of work.
What a piece of work.
Menudo personaje.
まったく、とんでもない人だ。
정말 보통이 아니네.

✗ Incorrecto

Usually said behind someone's back, not to their face.
通常是在背后说，而不是当面说。
Normalmente se dice a espaldas de la persona, no a la cara.
通常は本人のいないところで言う表現で、面と向かっては言わない。
보통 본인 앞에서가 아니라 뒤에서 하는 말이다.

Origen e historia

Originally from Shakespeare's Hamlet ('What a piece of work is a man!') as a compliment. In modern American usage, it shifted to primarily negative — describing troublesome people.

Contexto cultural

Era: Classic — still current

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: All regions

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