难以想象

• ピンイン: nán yǐ xiǎng xiàng
• 漢字の分解: 难 = 又(hand) + 隹(bird) — originally 'hard to catch bird'; 以 = derived from person/tool use; 想 = 相(look mutually) + 心(heart) — thinking in the mind; 象 = pictograph of an elephant — shape/image

意味

想像しがたい（想像を絶する）

Used to express that something is so extreme, unusual, or profound that the mind struggles to picture it. Common in academic discourse, emotional narratives, and analytical commentary. Stronger than 不可思议 in some contexts.

例文

1. 在没有互联网的年代，人们难以想象如今信息传播的速度会快到这种程度。
2. 失去至亲之痛是难以想象的，任何语言在那一刻都显得苍白无力。
3. 科学家们难以想象宇宙究竟延伸到多远，那种无限的广袤超越了人类的认知边界。

使い方ガイド

場面: academic, emotional expression, analytical commentary

トーン: emphatic

正しい言い方

• 在极度匮乏的环境中成长，那种艰辛是难以想象的，她却凭借一股韧劲走了出来。(Growing up in extreme deprivation, the hardships were unimaginable, yet she persevered through sheer tenacity.)
• 这座城市在短短二十年间发生的变化是难以想象的，昔日的荒地如今已是高楼林立。(The changes this city underwent in just twenty years are hard to imagine — barren land has given way to towering buildings.)

避ける言い方

• 用'难以想象'描述普通的惊讶 — 难以想象 implies a scale of difficulty or extremity that makes conception nearly impossible; for milder surprise, use 没想到 or 出乎意料

起源と歴史

难以(difficult to) + 想象(imagine). 以 functions as 'by means of/to the extent of'; 想象 is the compound verb meaning to imagine.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal