Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 难
Let’s have a look at how to use 难 (nán). On its own, it means “hard” or “difficult”.
When combined with other words, it expresses how difficult something (an action) is.
In this article, we’ll show you some ways to use 难 (nán) that you may use in daily life:
难 ON ITS OWN
难 on its own means “hard” or “difficult”. It can be used to ask or state that something is difficult.
It is usually used with adverbs of degree like 很，最，特别，更，etc.
难 WITH REGULAR VERBS
Here, 难 is added before verbs to show that something is difficult to do. However, there are a few verbs that are an exception to this: sensory verbs, that we’ll see in the next chapter.
PATTERN
Subject + (很)难 + Verb
难 WITH SENSORY VERBS
When 难 is placed with verbs to do with taste, look, smell, memory, etc, it forms compound words that show that something leaves a bad sensory experience.
NOTE || Here the words don’t mean difficult to do something, for example 难吃 means “bad tasting” not “difficult to eat”.
PATTERN
Subject + (很)难 + Sensory Verb
USING 难免
难免 means “inevitable” or “unavoidable”. It’s normally used with verb phrases to state that a situation is inevitable in a negative way.
Note: Often times 会 or 要 are included in sentences with 难免.
PATTERN
(Subject) + 难免 (+ Verb Phrase)
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FAQs
What does 难 mean?
难 (nán) means “difficult” or “hard” on its own and can be combined with other words to express that something is difficult to do.
What does 难免 mean?
难免 (nán miǎn) means “unavoidable” or “inevitable” and is used to express that a situation is unavoidable in a negative way.
How do I use 难 in a sentence?
In its most basic form, 难 (nán) is added after an adverb of degree like 很, 特别, 更, etc.
Example: 他们的工作很难。tāmen de gōngzuò hěn nán. Their job is very hard.
难 (nán) is added before verbs to show that the action (verb) is difficult to do.
Example: 英文很难学。yīngwén hěn nán xué. English is hard to learn.
What does 难过 mean?
难过 (nán guò) means “to feel sad”.
Example: 我很难过。wǒ hěn nánguò. I am very sad.
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