难以

難以

nányǐ

adverb HSK 5 #2,022

Meanings

1 hard to; difficult to
2 unable to easily (do something)

Characters

difficult; hard

to use; by means of; in order to

Difficult to (do something by means of) — hard to.

Examples

这件事难以解释。

Zhè jiàn shì nányǐ jiěshì.

This matter is hard to explain.

结果难以预料。

Jiéguǒ nányǐ yùliào.

The outcome is hard to predict.

他的行为让人难以理解。

Tā de xíngwéi ràng rén nányǐ lǐjiě.

His behavior is hard for people to understand.

这种感觉难以用语言表达。

Zhè zhǒng gǎnjué nányǐ yòng yǔyán biǎodá.

This feeling is hard to express in words.

两国之间的矛盾难以调和。

Liǎng guó zhī jiān de máodùn nányǐ tiáohé.

The conflicts between the two countries are hard to reconcile.

Tips

grammar

难以 is more formal and literary than 很难 (hěn nán). Pattern: 难以 + verb. It's commonly used in writing, news, and formal speech. 难以置信 (nányǐ zhìxìn) = unbelievable/hard to believe.

usage

Common collocations: 难以忘记 (hard to forget), 难以想象 (hard to imagine), 难以接受 (hard to accept), 难以置信 (hard to believe), 难以形容 (hard to describe).

Stroke Order

难 nán

以 yǐ