难以为继

難以為繼
nányǐwéijì
idiom #62,668

Meanings

  1. 1 hard to sustain (idiom)
  2. 2 difficult to keep going
  3. 3 unsustainable

Examples

Zhè zhǒng jīngyíng móshì nányǐwéijì.
This business model is unsustainable.
Zījīn duǎnquē, xiàngmù nányǐwéijì.
Short on funds, the project is hard to keep going.
Rúguǒ méiyǒu gǎigé, jiù zhìdù nányǐwéijì.
Without reform, the old system can't be maintained.

Tips

history
Derived from 《礼记·》: Confucius remarked — the mourning is sorrowful enough, but hard to keep up. The original sense of something genuine but unsustainable.
usage
Formal/written register. Used of business models, policies, lifestyles, relationships — anything whose continuation is in doubt. Subject usually precedes, not follows.

Stroke Order

nán
wèi