刁钻

刁鑽

diāozuān

adjective #36,868

Meanings

1 crafty
2 tricky
3 cunning and hard to deal with
4 (of a question) sharp and probing

Characters

tricky / artful

drill / bore through

Examples

这道题出得真刁钻。

Zhè dào tí chū de zhēn diāozuān.

This question is really tricky.

记者问了几个刁钻的问题。

Jìzhě wèn le jǐ gè diāozuān de wèntí.

The reporter asked a few probing questions.

Tips

usage

Two flavors: applied to a person, it's strongly negative — 'sly and difficult'. Applied to a question, exam, or angle (球 in sports), it's neutral-to-admiring — 'devilishly clever, hard to handle'.

Stroke Order

刁 diāo

钻 zuān