谈何容易

談何容易
tánhéróngyì
idiom #86,657

Meanings

  1. 1 easier said than done
  2. 2 not as easy as one might think
  3. 3 how could it be easy?

Examples

Shuō qǐlái jiǎndān, zuò qǐlái tánhéróngyì.
It sounds simple, but doing it is much easier said than done.
Yào gǎibiàn yí ge rén de xíguàn, tánhéróngyì.
Changing someone's habits — easier said than done.

Tips

history
From Dongfang Shuo's Han-dynasty 《先生》 (also in 《·东方》): '谈何容易。' Dongfang Shuo sighs about how dangerous it is to speak frankly to a ruler.
usage
Usually a sentence-final exclamation rebutting someone's casual suggestion, or follows a statement implying 'sounds simple'. Often preceded by 说起来 / 起来 / ...谈何容易 for the classic contrast.

Stroke Order

tán
róng