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.
这个有点儿难。
This is a bit difficult.说实话很难吗？
Is it difficult to tell the truth/be honest?View More Phrases
| chinese | pinyin | english |
|---|---|---|
| 中文难不难学？ | zhōngwén nàn bù nán xué. | Is it hard to learn Chinese? |
| 我们班上的数学考试很难，很多人都没及格。 | wǒmen bān shàng de shùxué kǎoshì hěn nán, hěn duō rén dōu méi jí gé | The math test in our class was very difficult, and many people didn’t pass. |
| 他最近工作很难，压力很大。 | tā zuìjìn gōngzuò hěn nán, yālì hěn dà. | He has been finding work very difficult lately and feels a lot of pressure. |
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
这个句子很难懂。
This sentence is difficult to understand.日语很难学。
Japanese is hard to learn.View More Phrases
| chinese | pinyin | english |
|---|---|---|
| 现在这支手机很难买。 | xiànzài zhè zhī shǒujī hěn nán mǎi. | It’s hard to buy this phone right now. |
| (这)很难说。 | (zhè) hěn nánshuō. | This is hard to say / It’s hard to say. |
| 坏习惯太难改了。 | huài xíguàn tài nán gǎile. | Bad habits are very difficult to change. |
| 她很漂亮，很难忘。 | tā hěn piàoliang, hěn nánwàng. | She is beautiful and unforgettable. |
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
这道菜真难吃，一点味道都没有。
This dish is really hard to eat. It has no flavour at all.View More Phrases
| chinese | pinyin | english |
|---|---|---|
| 这杯咖啡太难喝了。 | zhè bēi kāfēi tài nán hē le. | This cup of coffee tastes terrible. |
| 这首歌太难听了，我听了几秒钟就想关掉。 | zhè shǒu gē tài nán tīngle, wǒ tīngle jǐ miǎo zhōng jiù xiǎng guāndiào. | This song is too difficult to listen to. I want to turn it off after just a few seconds. |
| 这个房间太难闻了，我得打开窗户通风。 | zhège fángjiān tài nánwénle, wǒ děi dǎkāi chuānghù tōngfēng. | This room is too hard to smell. I need to open the window to air it out. |
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)
谁都难免受批评。
Nobody can avoid criticism.这种事情谁都难免。
This situation is difficult for anyone to avoidView More Phrases
| chinese | pinyin | english |
|---|---|---|
| 刚开始说外语时，难免说错话。 | gāng kāishǐ shuō wàiyǔ shí, nánmiǎn shuō cuò huà. | When you first start speaking a foreign language, you’ll inevitably make mistakes. |
| 如果经验不多，难免会出错。 | rúguǒ jīngyàn bù duō, nánmiǎn huì chūcuò. | If you don’t have a lot of experience, you will inevitably make mistakes. |
| 这种事情谁都难免。 | zhè zhǒng shìqíng shéi dōu nánmiǎn. | This situation is difficult for anyone to avoid / It could happen to anyone. |
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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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