硬骨头

硬骨頭

yìnggǔtou

idiom #31,257

Meanings

1 a tough, unyielding person; someone who won't bend under pressure
2 a tough nut to crack; a hard task

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

他是个硬骨头，再苦也不会叫一声。

Tā shì ge yìnggǔtou, zài kǔ yě búhuì jiào yì shēng.

He's a tough one - no matter how bad it gets, he won't complain.

HSK 7-9

这个项目是块硬骨头，得慢慢啃。

Zhège xiàngmù shì kuài yìnggǔtou, děi mànmàn kěn.

This project is a hard nut to crack - we'll have to chew at it slowly.

Tips

usage

Works for people and tasks. For people it's admiring, an unbreakable spirit. For tasks it's the one you 啃 (gnaw at) because it won't yield easily. Often used with 块 as a measure word for the task sense.

Stroke Order

硬 yìng

骨 gǔ

头 tóu