Meaning of 难以
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- hard to (predict, imagine etc)
How to use 难以
难以 comes before a verb, often a two-character one, and sounds more formal or written than 很难. It is common with verbs like 想象 (imagine), 相信 (believe), 理解 (understand) and 接受 (accept). Example: 这个消息让人难以相信。(Zhège xiāoxi ràng rén nányǐ xiāngxìn.) This news is hard to believe.
难 (nán) means difficult and 以 (yǐ) means by means of, so 难以 is literally "difficult to use as a way to" do something. Think of it as 难 plus a verb: hard to do.
Common mistake: Learners often put a noun or a single-syllable verb after 难以, as in 难以吃. Use 难吃 or 很难吃 for that, and keep 难以 for two-syllable verbs such as 难以忘记 (nányǐ wàngjì).
难以 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
难 nán · difficult · 10 strokes
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以 yǐ · to use · 4 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 难以.
| 可以 | kěyǐ | can; may |
| 所以 | suǒyǐ | therefore; as a result |
| 以为 | yǐwéi | to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless refe |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after; later |
| 难过 | nánguò | to feel sad; to feel unwell |
| 以上 | yǐshàng | that level or higher; that amount or more; the above-mentioned |
| 以外 | yǐwài | apart from; other than |
| 难受 | nánshòu | to feel unwell; to suffer pain |
| 以下 | yǐxià | that level or lower; that amount or less |
| 难看 | nánkàn | ugly; unsightly |
| 难题 | nántí | difficult problem |
Questions about 难以
What does 难以 mean?
难以 (nányǐ) means "hard to (predict, imagine etc)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 难以?
难以 is made of 2 characters: 难 (10 strokes), 以 (4 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 难以 an HSK word?
Yes. 难以 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 难以 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 难以 is written 難以.
What is the difference between 难以 and 很难?
Both mean hard to, but 难以 is more formal and usually goes straight before a two-syllable verb. 很难 is everyday spoken Chinese and works with almost any verb, like 很难说 (hěn nán shuō).
How do you say something is impossible to describe with 难以?
A very common set phrase is 难以形容 (nányǐ xíngróng), hard to describe. You will also see 难以置信 (nányǐ zhìxìn), unbelievable, which is fixed and written.